Psyche
by Mindblower
Summary: When Woody Stockings finds a legendary pendant in his mailbox, he doesn't know about its limitless power. What will he find out? And there seems to be a dark character that will stop at nothing to feel the energy of the Pendant of Psyche...
1. Prolouge

"Now tell me!" The C.E.O. shouted as he drove the piece of rusty metal ever deeper into the toon's leg. "WHERE IS HE?"

"I would rather die." The toon struggled to say this as she was in pain that could only be compared to dip.

The C.E.O. pulled out a ray gun. He loaded it and said, "I've been going easy on you, toon, but my patience is running thin. Where is the toon that you gave the pendent?!"

"Long gone… you will never see that pendant again… never… nev… er…"

The C.E.O. shot the toon, and she fell silent.

***

The C.E.O. sighed when he was doing the paperwork after he retired from the torture chamber. The toons were putting forth ever more resistance, and it seemed that he might have to import cogs from Cog Nation on the other side of the world. It was sad, really. He didn't want to go around capturing toons and then killing them. He really didn't. But if they didn't give him the information he needed, he had no other choice. If he let them go, the Attack Toons would just try harder.

It was time to end this once and for all.

***

Woody Stockings wistfully gazed at his estate. Since the last party, it was in sorry shape. He was the last of a dying breed. The guild _Party Animals_ was deeply in debt and even the combined efforts of the twenty-eight members of the guild were not enough to pull the group into a profit. The parties were just too costly, and too often.

Woody thought about a girl he had a crush on. She was a witty black cat. But she was wild, and Woody, well, liked to think before he acted. The cat's name was Rosita.

But he had other friends. There was Lucy Clemens, an uptight old mouse who is one of the few toons in Toontown that follows a religion. Another friend was Pop Hop, a fat dog who was a native of Donald's Dock. He was the closest replica to Santa Claus that Woody ever met.

Woody started cleaning up when he noticed his mailbox flag was up. He checked what was inside. He saw a necklace.

And on the end of the necklace was about the shiniest circular pendant he had ever seen.

***

"…_the shiniest circular pendant I have ever seen." _–Woody Stockings


	2. Chapter 1: Visual

The C.E.O, try as he might, couldn't get the girl toon's jagged, sweat and blood image out of his head. He was in his communications room, his private quarters where he checked every so often on Bossbot HQ.

"**Uh, C.E.O, we have a little problem here in the back nine.**" An image of a The Big Cheese popped up on the screen. "**Some toons have gotten past the first three holes, and we're a bit worried.**"

"Have the The Big Cheeses and Corporate Raiders been upgraded to have Power Trip yet?"

"**Yes, sir, but**-"

"Then tell them to only use that. Capture any sad toons before they can get away. These are their orders from now on."

"**Okay sir but-**"

"Yes?"

"**They say they're looking for Una Uno."**

The C.E.O. remembered the toon he had killed yesterday and grimaced. "Tell them she's been… dipped."

***

Woody was confused. He knew nobody that would give him this pendant, and it looked like it was worth more than the entire wealth of Toontown. Woody thought of getting the gem appraised at the bank, but he knew that making it public knowledge would alert some greedy cogs to its presence. And all toons knew since last week that some ultra level 13 and 14 cogs were being imported from the other side of the world. Even though he was a 121 laffer, he didn't want _those_ cogs hot on his heels.

Woody took out the pendant and looked at it. Cautious by nature, he eyed it. It seemed like a normal gem. _Great, _he thought, _a fancy pendant is just what I need to show off to Rosita._ He put the pendant around his neck, and closed his eyes, dreaming about Rosita's reaction.

When he opened his eyes, he was floating in a dimension of white. He was freaking out when a voice said, _What would you like to see?_ Without Woody saying anything, the voice said again, _Home. This is what you would like to see?_ Woody was about to answer when the feminine voice said, _Home. Yes. Visualizing._ Before the voice was done saying this, Woody was floating above his estate. His doodle was searching around for him, wondering where he had gone.

Woody tried to shout to him, when he realized he had no control over his actions. He couldn't speak, couldn't breath. So why is he still alive?

_In this extradimensional space, you need not breathe. Would you like to go home?_ Woody was astounded, and he tried to nod, but instead the voice said, _Home. Yes. Teleporting._

Woody woke up out of the trance, hungry and thirsty and in need of sleep. He was sweating and panting and his head hurt. But above all of this, he was astounded. He thought about telling TCHQ (Toontown Central Headquarters) but decided to wait it out and see what this pendant could really do.

He fell down and laid there, to weak to move.

A few hours later, he heard voices. He groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was still parched and starving but the throbbing in his head had subsided.

"Oh look, he's up." Woody recognized this voice as Pop Hop. "Hey, boy-o, thought you would never get up!"

"Couldn't you be the least bit worried?" A concerned Lucy Clemens said. "He obviously had a knock on the noggin."

"Well, I could see that. Say, Woody, did a 13 cog bump ya' off? And what's that thing around your neck?"

Woody felt the pendant and a flood of memories came back. He wiped some grass off of his arms and tried to stand up, but his legs were numb. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, let's discuss this over din-din. And take a shower! You smell like you've ran a marathon." Lucy scolded.

Woody smiled and remembered he couldn't stand up. "Well from my, 'Knock on the noggin,' I can't stand up. I'd like some help here."

Pop threw Woody onto his back unflinchingly and Lucy ran inside and turned the water on in his bathtub bed. Woody didn't have the strength to take his clothes off (nor did he want to, with his friends here) so he took a warm soak with his clothes on. To avoid risking another episode, he took off the pendant and put it on the end table. He noticed it was slightly difficult to take it off, but he assumed it was because his strength had failed him.

Lucy was preparing dinner and Pop was watching over her to make sure she didn't use too many ingredients. Lucy was an excellent cook but had a habit of making massive amounts of leftovers. But since he was so hungry, the prospect of being stuffed silly didn't bother Woody too much. It never bothered Pop.

When Woody felt refreshed enough, Pop closed the door to his room so that he could change. Woody was thankful to have such caring friends.

The dinner was delicious, and Woody ate considerable amounts but very slowly and politly because he was on the Toon Council and it stressed good manners. He talked about many boring things that you wouldn't want to hear and, when he was full, started talking about the pendant.

"So, you wanted to know what the pendant is, and why I was laying on the ground like that, right?" Woody asked.

"And you told us that we wouldn't believe it if you told us." Pop said.

"So, when I put it on, I was in some white space. This voice came out of nowhere and said stuff without me saying anything. I was floating in nothing one moment and then floating above my estate! When I woke up, I was hungry and tired and had a huge headache. I passed out, I think, and when I woke up there you were."

Pop and Lucy stared at Woody for a moment and Pop burst out laughing. "You know, boy-o, you could make a living telling ghost stories." Pop wiped his eyes with his handkerchief.

"I don't know." Lucy said, deep in thought. "Legend tells of a meteoroid with a pendant inside like the one I saw around your neck. There's a rumor that you can teleport vast distances, even through time. It literally becomes a part of you. But previous owners killed themselves using it, because it takes a massive amount of body strength to use. You have to get used to it before you can do the big leaps."

"You know, I think that there's a lot more to be gained by keepin' that pendant in your possession. A nice window into Cog nation, if I do say so myself." Pop said.

Woody pondered this for a moment. "But why did it suddenly appear in my mailbox? I don't know why anyone would want to give it up considering its power, let alone send it through the mail system."

"But consider this: maybe _it_ found _you_." Lucy said. "If it can teleport a user, couldn't it just fly into you're mailbox?"

"But it didn't seem out of the ordinary given its shininess and it only spoke to me when I activated it. And I still didn't know how I did it in the first place!"

Woody's grandfather clock struck eleven and Lucy said, "My, is it getting late! Sorry to leave you, but church is tomorrow and I just can't be late."

"Me too. After I'm done cleaning up the mess I must go to my hammock in the shop." Pop yawned.

***

"…_you wouldn't believe me even if I told you." _–Woody Stockings


	3. Chapter 2: Scockwave

The C.E.O. was in sleep mode when he heard from a level 11 Corporate Raider that, because of the C.E.O.'s strategy, all but one of Una's friends had been captured.

"Good." The C.E.O. lied. "This means that I might get the information that I need." Actually, the C.E.O. was terrified of how the cog opinion would shift against him if he continued to kill toons with the dip gun. "I'll be down in a minute. Continue your strategy and all captured toons are to be sent to the prison in the basement. The Chief Justice and his lawyers will deal with them later. Put Una's friends in the torture chamber, but take care not to harm them. We need their vocal chords to be intact."

The C.E.O. shuddered at the thought of what he might have to do and wheeled down to the torture chamber.

***

Woody woke up totally refreshed and remembered today was the last meeting of the _Party Animals_ before they disbanded. He stared wistfully into the distance as he remembered the times the group had together. But times had changed. The neighbors were complaining about the noise and the four-thousand jellybean parties had emptied everyone's savings, including Woody's.

Woody picked up his pendant by the chain because he didn't want to leave it alone, ate breakfast, and pulled out his Telehole. He teleported to Donald's dreamland, where the meeting was being held. A mass of toons were at a stage on the left of the playground. A podium had been set up there. He put the pendant around his neck in case of an emergency and stepped into the crowd.

Some toons eyed his pink pendant but most of them said things like, "How ya' doing" or "Great to see ya'" or "Nice clothes" and these were the things he was used to hearing. A purple monkey stepped up to the podium and started to speak.

"Now, members of the _Party Animal_ guild, I am very sorry to say that this is our final meeting. I don't want you to pool your jellybeans and see what you can come up with, nor do I want you to drive on our cause. We have run into some… trouble… with the Toon Council lately and most of you Attack Toons don't save enough money to buy gags. Now, unless one of you has something worth all of the wealth in Toontown, I bid you good-"

"What about Woody's pendant?" someone in the audience shouted.

"Say what?" the speaker said.

Woody felt numerous eyes burning holes into him. "I am deeply sorry, but this pendant is not for sale."

"Not even to save the _Party Animals_?!" Someone else in the audience asked.

"I am deeply, truly sorry."

Several toons were now gathered around him now. A miniature mob had begun to assemble. They looked hungrily at the pendant.

"Then we'll just have to take it from you!"

The next few seconds were a blur. Several toons jumped at Woody, but he was too fast and dodged all of them. He pushed his way through the crowd, blood pounding in his ears. The guild had blocked all of the exits, and there was nowhere to run. Woody curled up into a ball, closed his eyes, and waited for the yanking to begin.

_Weapon 1509: Shockwave. Yes. Activated._

A ball of light erupted from the pendant and spread across the playground. It knocked all of the toons down.

_Weapon 3794: Earthquake. Yes. Activated._

The ground began to rumble, then shake as if hell itself was vibrating.

_Home. Yes. Teleporting._

The last thing Woody could remember before passing out was his doodle licking his face.

***

Lucy Clemens was chopping up carrots for stew when the phone rang. "Coming" She said as she hurried to get the phone. Pop was on the other end of the line. "Hello?"

"Yes?" Lucy asked. She was anxious to get back to her stew. "This better be important."

"Look on the news."

"Why?"

"Because it worries me."

Knowing that few things could worry the carefree Pop, she put the stew on hold and switched on the television. A news reporter was saying:

"…**So, in other news, catastrophe hits Donald's Dreamland as a shockwave and earthquake has broken all of the windows in a twenty-mile radius and destroyed the tunnels leading to Minnie's Melodyland and Cashbot HQ. It all started when some of the members in the guild **_**Party Animals**_** were harassing another member who they say is Woody Stockings for a particularly valuable pendant. Shortly after the shockwave and earthquake started. When the guild searched for Woody later, it had seemed he had vanished into thin air. Authorities say…**"

***

"…_it worries me."_ –Pop Hop


	4. Chapter 3: The Pendant of Psyche

The C.E.O. was in his communications chamber. He decided to put the torture on hold to catch up on his paperwork. He was signing another paper (which for him is hard to do over a table because of his tank-like body), when he heard the C.F.O. calling on the Red Alert Line.

"This better be good!" the C.E.O. growled. The C.F.O. was notorious for his 'the Boy that Cried Wolf' distress calls.

The screen flashed to life and the C.F.O, who was in his office in Cashbot HQ, was looking a little stressed out. "Hello, Boss."

"So what is it, on this gloomy day that I have to sit around doing annoying paperwork that is so important you use the Red Alert Line for the second time this month?" The C.E.O. asked with an unfriendly demeanor.

"Well, sir, it seems that the toons have completely stopped coming to Cashbot HQ."

"Huh??"

"That's right, sir, our mints are, for once in twenty years, running a surplus. This does not compute. Toons don't just give up like that, and I already passed this information to the Chief Justice and V.P, and I thought you might like to know, too."

"Thank you, C.F.O, I will look into this. I will send a squadron of level 13 The Big Cheeses to Donald's Dreamland to look into this. In the meantime, shore up your defenses and keep your vaults no more than half full. Send all surplus Cogbucks to Cog Nation. That is all."

"Yes, sir." The C.F.O. said, and the screen went blank.

The C.E.O. radioed his orders to his executives and went down to the torture chamber. It was time to get that over with.

***

Lucy finished watching the broadcast and gaped. She walked back to the stovetop and was cooking her stew when Pop called again.

"So, did you see it?" he asked.

"Yes." Lucy said. "How could Woody do such a thing? Cutting off all of those toons!"

"Now, Lucy, I don't think that was on purpose. Woody is a sweet kid and has worked hard for the toons of Toontown. I think when the toons tried to grab the pendant they activated some self-defense what-not of the pendant. It isn't right to jump to conclusions."

"Well… all right. …Oh my! Remember what happened to Woody last time he used the pendant?"

"Yes and… holy smokes! We better skedaddle back to his estate! Meet you there!"

***

Woody was numb. He had been lying on the grass when he passed out, and now he was… well, he didn't know where he was. There was no seaworthy décor, so he wasn't at his house or Pop's, maybe he was at Lucy's… … …

"Oh my! He's awake!"

Woody tried to smile at Lucy's voice but he couldn't move. He didn't feel the pendant around his neck, so one of his friends must have taken it… wait, what if one of the guild members took it! Then they sold it and it went to some rich landlord and he never saw it again and he could never use it properly and…

"Yep, I can see his fluttering eyelids." Pop held the pendant by the chain in front of his face. "Ring a bell, old chap?"

Woody moaned. His head hurt really badly, but his strength was coming back. "…How long was I out?"

"Ever since we found you, and that was yesterday. And it was two days ago that we found out what happened at Donald's Dreamland. But enough talk, I'll go get ye' my famous Electrode Punch. It'll give you enough energy for you to eat Lucy's vegetable stew and have some water. Then you can tell us you're side of the story."

Pop gave Woody the red punch in a plastic cup. With just one sip, Woody's mouth was electrocuted something awful. He sat bolt upright. "Man… what do you put in this stuff?"

"Oh, it's just my regular Island Punch paired with a couple thousand volts of electricity."

"I… I see." Woody set the shocking punch down gently. "So, what is it that you'd like to know?"

"Up-bup-bup. Wait until after supper. But I guess, since you're so willing, I'll sneak a question in behind Lucy's back."

"I heard that!" Lucy said from the kitchen. "I have eyes in the back of my head. There will be no sneaking in this house!"

"How's the stew coming?"

"I still need you to peel the onions."

"I'll be there in a minute."

"You'd better be."

"Well, anyway, Woody, what exactly caused the shockwave and earthquake? Did you tell the pendant to do that?"

"Well, not exactly. You see, when the entire guild was chasing me, I had nowhere to run. I curled up into a ball and didn't say anything. But then, out of nowhere, the shockwave and earthquake hit. Then I was teleported home. But the thing is, I'm starting to realize that the pendant locks into you're subconscious. It does what you think. It's only limited by you're imagination. So I technically caused the earthquake and shockwave, but I didn't do it consciously." Woody sheepishly finished.

"Amazing… so this means that we can fix it!" Pop exclaimed.

"Not exactly. I don't know where I got this info (probably the pendant) but every time I take the pendant off, I grow tremendously weak, because every time I use it, the pendant and I become more as one."

"Soup's on!"

"Well, kiddo, we can talk more about this after dinner."

"Oh, one more thing: I think the pendant calls itself the Pendant of Psyche."

***

"…_I'll sneak a question in…"_-Pop Hop


	5. Chapter 4: The Horrors Below

The C.E.O. wheeled down to the dank dungeon and remembered he forgot to improve the conditions of the rusty old jail. It was 10 kilometers below the surface where Una Uno's last friend was walking (or maybe limping) back to TCHQ or DDHQ (Donald's Dock Headquarters). The C.E.O. let the toon go. There was no harm she could possibly do now.

The dungeon was falling apart (almost literally). The C.E.O. made a note in his limited computer memory that he would raise the funding of this dump 31%. If any of the toons knew how to use a modern Swiss Army Knife they would be out of here in five minutes.

The C.E.O's client gave him little bits of advice such as, "Burn the gags you capture, don't store them." Or, "Increase the traction on the ramp where the toons fight the V.P. so he won't fall off so easily." These tips that he gave the cogs greatly helped reduce the losses in the factory, mints, and attorney offices and helped reduce the need for resources to build new . The only problem was that he was so obnoxious the C.E.O. thought his head would explode just from listening to him.

The C.E.O. dreaded his client's calls. Even though, he had an impressive intellect and gave tips to the cogs that were just as good, if not better, than the C.E.O's own ideas. He would never say that out loud, of course.

The C.E.O. arrived at the cell of his prisoners. They were all lying against different parts of the wall. On of them, a red cat spit, looked the C.E.O. straight in the eye, and said, "At least when I go to hell, I'm taking you with me."

The C.E.O. managed a smile and replied. "Too bad for you, I was promoted to devil last week."

Another, a pink cat, picked a tick out of her hair and said, "I hope all devils don't have as poor comebacks as you do. Besides, let's face it. Cogs don't go to hell. They go to the scrap heap. Just like all of your lackeys. One… by… one." To illustrate the point, she crushed blood-heavy ticks between her claws.

The C.E.O. tried not to wince, but that remark hurt. Do the cogs get any respect from toons these days? "I suppose it doesn't matter if I play good cop, bad cop to you, does it?"

A blue dog remarked, "If cogs can play good cop, this cell is brand new."

The C.E.O. wondered if all toons were this irritating. He summoned some Corporate Raiders and they opened the cell, grabbed the toons, and dragged them to the torture chamber half a kilometer away. The C.E.O. wheeled in after them.

The torture chamber was brand new. The C.E.O. had gotten it at the advice of his new client. It featured a variety of devices, which included the Put-Things-Insider, the Rip-Things-Offer, the Mismatcher, and the Scraper. Most toons sang the moment they saw these horrors, but Una had proved most resistant. This is why the C.E.O. had to dispose of her. Word of this room would decrease toon respect for cogs dramatically, diminishing what little bit the C.E.O. had left.

The rock hard expression of the blue dog and red cat stayed firm, but the pink cat turned pale and gagged when she saw the devices. The red cat tried to hide her, but it was too late. The C.E.O. knew she was all bluff.

"Now, who would like to sit in my operation chair first," The C.E.O. said, looking directly at the pink cat, "where I put things inside and out of you, turn you inside out and upside down, make you throw up and shove it back down, where I break your bones, digest your liver and make your brain into a healthy stew to shove down your throat, where I tie you into a knot and freeze you and thaw you with lava. Where I-"

The C.E.O. didn't have to say any more. The pink cat threw up, collapsed, and shook violently on the floor. The red cat was looking quite worried and the blue dog looked ready to pass out.

"Shall I continue, or will you tell me everything? Because that was just talk. You wouldn't want it to really happen, now would you? Would you?" The C.E.O. said, right in the blue dog's face. Toons were so easy to scare, if you knew how.

The blue dog was at a loss for words, so the red cat said with a shaky voice, "W-what would y-you like t-t-to know?"

The C.E.O. smiled. Una placed too much trust in her friends. "I want to know everything about the Pendant of Psyche that Una failed to tell me."

"…W-w-what?"

The C.E.O. muttered a curse under his breath, and asked as politely as he could to toons, "What do you know about the so-called Pendant of Psyche??"

The red cat looked at his friends for help, but the blue dog was out cold and the pink cat was trying not to puke again. "I… I can't help you t-there."

"WHAT?!" The C.E.O. yelled so loud that even the Corporate Raiders were startled. Then his blazing red eyes centered themselves on the toons. "THEN I'LL JUST HAVE TO KILL YOU!"

***

"…_that was just talk."_ –The C.E.O.


	6. Chapter 5: The TIA

The C.E.O. regained his senses after shifting into Rage Mode. He was foolish to have tried the new program out. The V.P. better have a good excuse for creating it. The C.E.O. knew the V.P. only wanted to create better emotions for the cogs, but Rage Mode was only a prototype. The C.E.O. opened his hard drive and delicately took out the newest accessory. It was like trying to take out a splinter. The slightest mistake could make the situation much worse.

Having resolved that, the C.E.O. looked around the room. There wasn't much damage, except the pink cat's puke and the mutilated carcasses of the red cat and blue dog. He shuddered. What had he become?

He signaled for some flunkies to clean up the bodies. He wanted to set the pink cat free, but the effect on the cog opinion would be disastrous. Those dastardly toons and their night raids would further their effort 104.894 percent. Approximately.

The corporate raiders would have to go to the Mechanic to get their memories of this event wiped. No one could know.

And there were other duties the C.E.O. had to do, too. He had a dinner party six days from now and he still had to deal with the toon disappearance from Cashbot H.Q.

The pink cat was asleep on the floor. The C.E.O. decided he would show her mercy. He looked up maximum toon punishments (besides death) and something caught his eye:

If a toon becomes part robot in any way, he or she from there forth loses all gag training and Laff Points. He or she will not be accepted as a toon in any neighborhood and loses all of her toonly possessions. The deed to their estate will be taken and all of their jellybeans will be relieved of them. However, they will be immune to both gags and cog attacks and will be called a Toon Cog.

The C.E.O. chuckled to himself. Perfect.

***

Woody was still recovering from the guild's attack when he heard a knock on his door. Through his peephole, he saw two toons wearing fancy badges. That couldn't be good.

When he hesitantly opened the door, the green duck on the right said, "Officers Clancy and Tightrope with the TIA (Toontown Intelligence Agency). We understand that you were participating in the spectacle involving the destruction of Donald's Dreamland. Do you have any information on the subject?"

Woody could tell these were unlike any other toons he had ever seen before. They had gone to school. "No, I-"

Tightrope interrupted, "Of course you don't. Listen, what are you? 18, 19? The youngest toon on toon council, for sure. We know what happened. We don't know _how_ it happened. We have multiple sources pointing in your direction, and above all, we can smell fear."

Woody could tell which toon was the good cop and the bad cop. "Okay, I'll tell you. Some thieves tried to rob me of my most valuable possession. The end. Good day."

Woody tried to close the door, but Clancy's silver-toed boot got in the way. "What most valuable possession, _exactly_?"

They were on to him. He needed to use the pendant to get him out of this mess. But first, he needed to buy some time. "My golden jellybean."

Clancy looked at Tightrope and frowned. They weren't buying it. "Aren't precious metals for cogs?" He inquired.

"Then what's with the silver-toed boot?"

Clancy looked at the precious metal on his foot and said, "Right you are. So where is this, _golden_ jellybean?"

Woody's mind was racing. "In my boot. It's in my dresser. Mind if I fetch it?"

Tightrope looked like he was pondering if Woody was telling the truth, but he thought he could see a lying toon a mile away, so he said, "All right. Get it, but…" Woody's heart almost stopped at the prospect of the agents coming in after him. "leave your Telehole. And don't even think of locking your door.

Woody tried not to let his relief show on his face as he handed Tightrope his Telehole and closed the door. He made a mad dash to his wardrobe and searched frantically for the pendant, but it was all in vain. Distraught, he turned to his bathtub bed. And there it was.

As he put it on, Woody had a choice to make: Would he teleport out of here, or use a weapon of some sort to get rid of the two agents? Both had negative repercussions. Both could but Woody in serious danger. _If only they were helpless…_

_Weapon 0038: Binge. Yes. Activating._

Woody barely had time to say oops when he felt his arms and legs go numb. He was exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. He wobbled over to the door and found the two guards asleep, dead drunk.

"Problem."

***

"_Right you are."_ –Agent Clancy


	7. Chapter 6: The New Lead

Jessica awoke with a start in her bed at home. She sighed with relief. She had dreams all night about going to bossbot HQ and being captured. Then she saw the most horrible vile… _things_ she had ever laid eyes on. She shuddered. No more volcano sauce before bed.

Jessica sat up and yawned. She didn't remember buying the nightgown she was wearing, but it didn't matter. She was safe at home, and the cogs couldn't get at her. She noticed she had cramps in her back and sides, and her throat stung when she swallowed. But that was probably just the volcano sauce.

She felt good. She was a pink cat in a pink house surrounded by many objects in pink. She thought she would call Una Uno later and go out to dinner. That would be nice.

The 17-year-old cat went to the fridge to whip up some pancakes, but it was empty. That was strange. She always kept her fridge well stocked. Jessica also noticed that her phone was missing. That was even stranger.

But when she went to the door to go outside and feed her doodle, all color drained from her face.

Because instead of a door, there was a set of iron bars.

***

Five days away. His dinner party was five days away, and the C.E.O's dining hall was still a wreck. The masses of Corporate Raiders he had invited wouldn't like this. The C.E.O. signaled for as many flunkies as he could muster down to clean up this mess.

The C.E.O. rolled up from the rubbish and up the ramp to the communications chamber. He half-hoped that there was an update on the Cashbot HQ situation. Any distraction at all from the horror of what he was going to do to that poor toon in the toon chamber. The C.E.O. had scanned her brain for what she perceived as home, and then used the data to create a copy in a jail cell. It was pretty obvious to someone with half a hard drive to figure out where you were in that cell with a little computing, but in was the best the C.E.O. could muster.

The C.E.O. saw an incoming signal and opened the line. One of his trusted Level 13 The Big Cheeses was the sender. "**Permission to speak, sir.**"

"Granted."

"**Well, sir, the pathway leading to Cashbot HQ has been completely destroyed.**"

"Pardon?"

"**I mean, it's all rubble.**"

"What about the entrance to Cashbot HQ? Shouldn't it have been destroyed, too?"

"**Well, you see, sir, it's all destroyed until right before the entrance to Cashbot HQ. There's a toon building that was cut in half.**"

The C.E.O. searched his memory for what could've done such a deed, and the light bulb in his head lit up. "Bot 1842947, I want you to find and record all of the information you can on the Pendant of Psyche. This is your and your team's new objective from now on."

"**What, sir?**"

"That's an order."

"…**Y-Yes, sir.**"

The C.E.O. smiled at the new lead and terminated the link.

***

Woody stared at Clancy and Tightrope, who were passed out from abuse of alcohol. Alcohol is strictly prohibited in Toontown, it was a felony if you drank even a shot glass of beer, and furthermore, a toon suffers permanent brain damage and serious amnesia from a binge on the magnitude of the pendant's enchantment.

Woody seriously considered dumping the two unfriendly agents down a Telehole to Toontown Central, but it was very likely that the two couldn't say their ABCs by the time they woke up. If they woke up.

Woody almost took the pendant off of his neck, but would rather keep it on in case of an emergency. The voice said, _If you do not wish to use the pendant at this time, think, "off" When you would like to use it again, think, "on."_

Woody thought "off" and the pendant turned a dullish gray. He then knelt down and crawled to the phone, for he was still under the weight of the usage of the pendant. He called Lucy, and when she answered, Woody informed in a rather hoarse voice the events of the past six minutes.

"Oh my." Lucy responded. "This isn't good. Wait a minute, and I'll be over with some energy bars and some celery sticks."

"And bring Pop, too." Woody croaked.

"And I'll bring Pop, too." Lucy repeated before hanging up.

Woody put the last of his strength into sitting up the muscular Tightrope and the obese Clancy on the boat-couch. He then grasped the armchair for support, and silently slung himself onto the comfy chair. He was thoroughly worn out.

Just as Woody was about to pass into the wonderful flying dreams one has when life is going great (or a horrible hellish nightmare when one's life is going terribly, Woody couldn't really tell which), there was a clatter on the door that you would compare to a wood mouse kick-boxing against a door next to a microphone hooked up to surround-sound speakers. In this case, however, it was Lucy's secret knock.

Woody groggily opened his eyes and ran into several walls due to his blurry vision before finally reaching the door. He half opened it and fell over. Then he blacked out.

***

Lucy was a worry-wart. She had been called a worry-wart ever since she was two years old, when she commented on how dangerous it was to light candles next to a paper-Mache display. But in the past few days, she had been doing a lot more worrying than usual.

Her natural response to this was to cook. She also liked to cook difficult, challenging meals, like making a 700-calorie meal that's main ingredient was peanut butter. It helped her take her mind off of her worrying, and she did so often. She called it stress-cooking.

Never in her life did she expect to see one of her dearest friends collapsed _twice_, let alone three times! She felt that if she worried any more about poor Woody, she would have a heart attack. It wasn't right for a toon to worry. It conflicted with their carefree nature.

Pop, on the other hand, was the calm spot in the storm. From his rough upbringing on a sailing ship, he had learned every tough spot that could happen in Toontown, and how to avoid or conquer it. He also developed a taste for Lucy's cooking, because for most of the year before he retired he only ate pickled jellybeans!

Yet Pop was worried about Woody, too. He was a youth who still needed to earn his "sea legs" among regular toons. In fact, Woody was the only thing Pop had ever worried about.

When Woody collapsed after opening the door, Lucy went into worry overdrive. Pop just sighed, shook his head, and picked up Woody and tucked him into bed. He had had enough for one day.

"So what about the TIA agents? They won't be able to count to two when they wake up." Lucy asked Pop.

"If they wake up." Pop reminded her.

"Right." Lucy said with a worried face. "Well, we better just wait. Nothing to be done when nobody's awake."

"I agree completely." said Pop, who was already dozing off in a lounge chair. "And don't be cookin, now, we don't want for Woody to pay the grocery bill." Pop fell into his usual deep sleep.

Lucy noticed she was seriously worn out too, from worrying so much. She settled into a living room chair and slept.

***

"_I agree completely." _–Pop Hop


	8. Chapter 7: Dealing with Drunkards

Jessica didn't know what to think anymore. This conflicted with everything she knew about the cogs. She was in a jail cell, yet it was furnished with everything she had at her house, save the phone. There were no guards at her cell; she even poked her head outside to take a look. Cogs hated toons, more than anything else in the tooniverse. So why was she being treated so courteously?

Jessica guessed that the cogs finally figured out that you had to pamper toons for them to spill the beans. Well that wasn't going to work on Jessica, no sir. She was renewed. Two of her best friends had already been killed, and the C.E.O. was holding Una captive. She had to bust out of here, she had the courage and she had the strength and she was going to get out. All she needed to do was-

Jessica heard a sound from the end of the hall and leaped five feet backwards into the wall. She slowly slid down and landed on her bottom. Who was she kidding. She was afraid of her own shadow. As if to push the point, she looked back at her shadow and yelped. She sighed and leaned against the rusty iron bars. How was she ever going to get out of here? …

Suddenly the bars gave way and Jessica toppled backward. Well, that part was easy enough. She tried not to panic and quickly tip-toed up the steps towards freedom.

Jessica Goway was breaking out.

***

The C.E.O. watched the Flunkies clean up. He knew it was a scientific fact that cogs worked harder if their boss was watching them. He was feeling generous, as if the weight of torture was lifted off of his shoulders. He would give each and every one of the flunkies a promotion.

The C.E.O. almost burst into laughter. He wasn't _that_ nice. But still, he noted some of the more hardworking flunkies and rolled down to the Communications chamber. He checked his E-mail, a new scientific breakthrough fresh from Cog Nation. He opened the very large, long, painstaking list of the cog death list and sighed. This war was getting out of hand.

Just as he was about to forward the message to the V.P, the Yellow Alert line rang. It was the V.P's favorite priority line. The C.E.O. opened the line and said, "I'd rather we just skip the formalities. What's going on?"

"**I wasn't aware we cogs even had any formalities, sir.**"

"Vice President, for once in your life could you at least _pretend_ to be civilized?"

"**I don't really see the point, sir.**"

The C.E.O. muttered a bad word under his breath and continued. "Well, now what do you have to tell me now that you've put me in a foul mood?"

"**I just want to let you know that a sellbot passing though Bossbot HQ happened to pick up a note that read, '****Dear stupid mean ugly C.E.O,****' this is the note, not me, '****I have just escaped from your rotting jail. I also set your library on fire and put your elevator out of order. Good luck repairing them! P.S. I know where the pendant is, and I know how to get rid of it.**'"

The C.E.O. just stared for a minute at the screen. Then he started to chuckle. That evolved into a laugh. Soon, the room started vibrating with the roar of the C.E.O's laughter. The C.E.O. laughed as if cogs really _did_ have a sense of humor. When the laughing subsided, the V.P. looked at the C.E.O. with a confused expression.

"**Uh, sir, what was that about?"**

"Why, V.P, this idiotic toon will lead us right to the Pendant of Psyche!"

***

When Woody woke up it was half past one. His friends were fast asleep. He looked at them and felt horrible for the things he had put them through for the last few days. Pop he knew could sleep anywhere, but Lucy looked very uncomfortable on the living room chair. Woody decided to ask the pendant a question.

_Yes?_ The pendant asked automatically.

_Will you stop reading my mind? It's getting a bit annoying. _Woody thought.

_Unfortunately, I cannot. What would you like to know?_

_Is there some way I can monitor how much energy I use?_

_That, Woody, is honed through practice._

_I see…Can you name for me a function that can move-_

_Lucy Clemens into your bed?_

Woody gritted his teeth. This telepathy thing was going to be hard to get used to. _Yes._

_First you must turn me on. Is this your wish, Woody?_

_Fine. But can you make sure that you allow me to finish my sentences, even if you know what I'm going to say?_

_Is this your wish?_

_Very much so. Also, I want you to turn on, please._

_Yes. Turning on._

The pendant resumed its usual vibrant pink color.

_Woody?_

_Pendant?_

_I think it is appropriate for you to know that you are the first of my many users to show me such courtesy._

_Any time. Feel free to let me know if I am mistreating you in any way._

_Woody?_

_Yes?_

_Thank you._

Woody smiled. The day was getting off to a good start.

***

Lucy woke up and immediately leaped out of bed, as she is accustomed to when she has nightmares full of worrying. She was also accustomed to stumbling into a wall or other furniture before landing on her tush, as she did now also. She got up and looked around. She had just gotten up out of Woody's bathtub bed. She walked into the other room and found Pop still asleep on the lounge chair. She decided to gently wake him up.

"POP! POP!!" Lucy yelled in Pop's ear as she shook him not-so-gently out of his slumber. Pop sleepily raised his droopy eyelids and took out his ear plugs.

"Now what were you going on about?"

"Look!" Lucy rasped with a horse voice. She didn't yell often. "Woody's gone! And he took those awful TIA agents with him!"

***

Woody looked around. This was a good spot.

He dragged Clancy and Tightrope up on top of the hill of his estate. He had brought an assortment of chocolates and vegetables with him, and several water bottles. It was shady here, and the moss provided cushions. Woody stopped to rest. Here was the place he was going to practice using the pendant until the former TIA agents woke up.

_Ready?_ The pendant asked.

_As ready as I'll ever be. So, what's the least powerful weapon?_

_A minilaser, Weapon 0001. Invented by my first user._

_Okay. Let's start with that._

_Weapon 0001: Minilaser. Yes. Activating._

A small beam of light erupted from the pendant. It sailed off into the distance. Woody braced himself, but nothing happened.

_Well, that wasn't so ba-_

A gust of wind suddenly knocked Woody down, and for half a second Woody saw a speck of light on the horizon. That's when Woody felt the aftermath.

_Ohhhhh, my head…Th-that's the least powerful weapon?! _Woody stuttered.

_The supernova was only one foot in diameter._ Replied the pendant.

Woody sighed. This was going to be a long and exhausting day.

***

Once Woody had gone through a large amount of food and water and was preparing for the next function, he heard a small stirring from Tightrope who was propped up against a tree. Woody rushed over to him.

"Happened, what oy? Thing I don't remember a.…" Tightrope muttered.

"Tightrope? Speak to me!" Woody exclaimed.

"Is my that name? Coming, back yes it's me to..." he trailed off.

"Sounds like you've had quite a knock on the noggin!" Woody mused.

"Knock the a noggin on?"

Woody burst out laughing. Tightrope could speak, but the words were mixed up!

"Stop, at hey me laughing!" Tightrope felt his neck, and a look of pure fury painted his face red. He stood up, grabbed Woody, by the neck and held him up high. "To going I neck your wring am!" He said not so clearly.

Woody, who was still giggling, rationalized, "I believe you are at my mercy, now that no toon could understand you-" Tightrope squeezed Woody's neck and Woody continued, "b-but I guess I could help you out, a-… a little…"

Tightrope threw Woody to the ground and Woody gasped for breath. But he just couldn't stop smiling at the ridiculousness of the situation. Woody turned to Tightrope, who held his head in his hands, looking more downcast than any toon he had ever seen. But what caught Woody's eye was the fact that Clancy was sitting upright. Woody rushed over to him.

"Clancy? Is that you?" Woody asked, hoping that Clancy would be easer to understand.

"Clanswiy? Me Elmo! I am her to mwake evwy dway bwetter!"

Woody roll on the ground, laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"Lawagther! Good! Elmo is doing hwis jwob!" Clancy stumbled around and in circles. Woody noticed that Clancy's pupils were round, and his eyes were bulging out of his head.

Tightrope stood up and finally noticed Clancy, and said, "Happened! To Clancy you what?" Clancy waddled up to Tightrope and hugged him. "Awkward…"

"Hello, friend!"

Tightrope pushed off Clancy and turned to Woody. "Please, explanation!"

Woody stammered through his giggles, "You see… I accidentally enchanted you… to make you drunk… and now you… act like this!" Woody exploded with laughter.

"See I…" Tightrope grabbed Woody and rammed him against the tree, which killed the laughter. "You've got listen to count punk till I use ten my I absolute before ever authority and you to Toontown your make miserable life. Understand?"

"Uh… what?"

Tightrope rubbed his forehead and said, "Us fix!"

"Ohhhhh… you see, I'm not sure if I can do that."

"What?!" Tightrope yelled furiously.

Clancy wrapped his arms around Tightrope and cooed dreamily, "Are you angry, friend? Elmo will make it all better…"

Tightrope swatted him away and spurted, "Off me get!"

This was getting way out of hand. Woody needed to do something, and fast. But what?

_Weapon 1173: Sleep Tight. Yes. Activating._

Woody's blood froze as he remembered with a sinking feeling that he'd forgotten to turn the pendant off. As all of his energy left him, he knew only this: He'd created more problems than he alone could resolve.

***

"…_for once in your life could you at least _pretend_ to be civilized?" _–The C.E.O.


	9. Chapter 8: Therapy

Jessica barely had time to set down the note before she was being chased by cogs of all kinds. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to set the dead trees on fire. Too late for that now.

The reason Una had chosen Jessica to know about the pendant is because she was a ninja. She effortlessly could jump ten feet in the air and break a cog's spine when she landed. But although she had the ability to do such fantastic stunts, she was absolutely terrified of performing them. It scared her stiff just to think about it. So instead of busting some heads, she ran for her life.

As she was running through Chip n' Dale's acorn acres, she saw the faintest bit of dullness in the landscape. She also noticed that the geyser stopped spouting its usual blast that threw toons hither and thither about the landscape. As if to make the situation any more obvious to someone with half a brain that something was wrong, Chip and Dale were nowhere in sight. But one cannot worry about much when she is running for her life.

Jessica cleared the river and snatched up a slice of cake on the fly. She hadn't had anything to eat for around two days, and that was the point just about anything edible would taste good. She knew no one would mind, because there was nobody there.

She finally cleared the gate into Donald's Dock. She gasped for breath. Running for your life takes a lot out of you. She felt alarmingly tired, for some reason.

It was dusk, and most toons were drifting off. The boat that ran annoying circles around the lake was docked, and again, the signature Toontown Hero was nowhere in sight. It was very late, and Jessica was very, very, very very _very_ tired. She felt like she could pass out on the spot. But she needed shelter. The cogs performed their dastardly raids after sundown.

She walked drearily down to a bed n' breakfast called Pop Hop's Stop Shop. She had a couple hundred jellybeans in her bank account, she hoped that that would be enough. She wished she had a credit card, but the Toon Council vetoed the bill because it was too, 'cog-like.'

She wobbled inside with wavering steps.

"Oy, lass, you look like you could fall asleep on your feet!"

He, whoever he was, didn't need to say any more, because Jessica fell asleep on the doormat.

***

The C.E.O's only blunder would be that that pink cat might've thought it was too easy.

The C.E.O. shot a mild tranquilizer at the toon, he just needed to turn the pink cat robotic. Who knew a single toon could outrun several The Big Cheeses and withstand a dart in the fanny?

The sellbot Factory didn't make mild tranquilizers, so the C.E.O. had to take some of the drug out. He then used the remaining space to put in some special nanobots to monitor the toon's position. That would have to do, for now, anyway.

The V.P. and the alert line he used suggested that not only did the toon get away, but that a sellbot was on bossbot property, and although it was pardoned this time by order of the V.P, a cog could be fined $2,000,000 and sent to jail for five years. If that didn't ruin the cog's life already, the severe social repercussion would. It was a good general rule not to have more than one type of cog on an HQ's premises unless there is an invasion.

The library was indeed destroyed, but the supercomputer in Cog Nation would certainly be able to replace all of the files. About 84.978% of the files were long-gone cogs. The Elevator could be easily fixed, although the C.E.O. considered buying a new one. The interior was black with smoke, anyway.

The C.E.O. opened the tracking window and saw that the pink cat was currently in Donald's Dock. He scheduled a two-hour-long The Big Cheese invasion for tomorrow and every day until his dinner party. If that didn't leave Donald's Dock a corporal paradise, the spreading Killjoy disease certainly will.

Everything was going as planned.

***

Woody woke up on the grass with Lucy at his side. Tightrope and Clancy were fast asleep.

_Pendant, I would like a recap of everything that happened in my unconsciousness._

_As you wish._

Lucy started to speak, but Woody held up his hand. "Uh-huh. Uh…huh. So how long does this last? I see… Wait a minute, my friend is here." Woody turned to Lucy and recapped the recap to her for clarity, and also told her of the agent's conditions.

"Two more hours, by my watch."

"Just two? That's not very much time." Woody moaned.

"Well, it's long enough for me to whip up some of my prize-winning zucchini bread and some mac and cheese. Wait here, and see what the pendant knows about those two's condition. It's pretty darn smart." Lucy ran toward her house.

Woody sat there for a while, resting his mind. Every time he used the pendant, it got a little foggier. But now that he'd rested for a little bit, the haze was clearing. He needed to use the pendant wisely. He couldn't use it without thinking. Which reminded him,

_Pendant, it would please me if you would turn off. This is my wish._

_Turning off…_

Now that that was taken care of, he limped to his house and dragged the picnic ware back up the hill. Dragging a forty-pound case up a steep hill could sure take a lot out of you. He laid back and rested.

An hour passed…

Then thirty minutes…

Then fifteen…

Then seven…

Then two…

Then…

"Man, this is taking forever…" Woody interrupted. Suddenly, there was a stir from Tightrope.

Tightrope sat up and rubbed his head. "Dream it, goodness all a was thank." Tightrope then remembered the past events and said a bad word. This surprised Woody, because not many toons knew bad words. Tightrope, alarmingly enough, kneeled at Woody's feet and denounced his authority. "Me please help."

Clancy waddled over. "Lawooks like yawou need swome help, fwiend."

***

After they ate their fill of Lucy's cuisine, Woody spent the rest of the day teaching Tightrope how to speak again while Lucy looked up Clancy's condition.

Tightrope's condition was somewhat easy to manage. Using logic, Woody deduced that if Tightrope tried saying the words all mixed up, they would come out in the right order. It was worth a try.

"Sure this work and will this you're?" Tightrope questioned.

"I can't tell what you're saying, remember? If you try, maybe I'll be able to decipher what you say."

"Boy, oh…" Tightrope put on a look of pure concentration. "What… wrong… is… with… Clancy…?"

"Not bad. I could tell what you said, at least."

"Woody!" Lucy jogged over to him. "I think I know what to do."

"What?"

"Ahem… Happy Syndrome: If a toon loses all emotions except happiness, he/she must be kept in the presence of the item that makes it extremely angry. This will return the toon to normal, save the fact that it will be irritated to have the item around."

Tightrope's face lit up. "Ah… Know I!" He got out his briefcase and pulled out a toothbrush. "Toothbrush."

"A toothbrush?" Woody asked skeptically.

"Teeth no."

"I get it." Lucy chuckled. "Clancy is irritated at the fact that ducks don't have teeth!"

Tightrope failed to see the humor in such a serious situation, but he still got out a necklace and hooked up the toothbrush to one end. "Better work this."

"Tightrope, you're never going to get better at this unless you practice." Woody insisted.

Tightrope sighed and began slowly, "This… better… work." He walked over to Clancy, who was waddling around in circles.

When Tightrope tried to put the Toothbrush onto Clancy, Woody stopped him. "Let me videotape this."

"Youtube?" Tightrope perceived.

"No, proof." Woody explained as he pulled a camera out of his gag bag. "It might not be easy to convince Clancy of his behavior." Woody videotaped several minutes of ridiculousness before he signaled Tightrope to put the toothbrush around Clancy's neck.

Tightrope placed the toothbrush around Clancy's neck and waited.

Then what can only be described as pure, unadulterated horror as Clancy literally turned inside out and back again. Fortunately for the bystanders' stomachs, they couldn't see a thing through the black dust that the transformation raised.

They all coughed and sputtered as the fog cleared. The 'normal' Clancy was nothing new to behold. Tightrope was the first to recover.

"Clancy?"

"Yes?"

"You're… back."

"Was I gone?"

Woody stepped in. He held up his camera and implied, "Clancy, there's something I think you should see."

***

"…_you're never going to get better at this unless you practice." _–Woody Stockings


	10. Chapter 9: Cilent

Jessica woke up in a comfy hammock. She sat bolt upright. She had been dreaming of those awful things again, and of the C.E.O's cold, unloving, hard machine parts that passed for a face. She scratched her bottom, and felt a sharp pain. A splinter?

Jessica pulled it out for closer examination. Wait a minute… were these needle fragments?!

"So, you're finally awake. It's a good thing, too because I found more than one of these in your fanny!" marveled an easygoing man sitting on the couch. He held out pieces of tranquilizer darts. Just looking at them made Jessica feel woozy.

"Who are you?" Jessica finally asked.

"A better question is, who are you? You don't have the name tag that's usually floating above your head."

Indeed it wasn't. Those darn cogs must've taken it. You only get just one. "Jessica Goway. Pleased, I'm sure." Jessica looked above the man's head and saw that his name was Pop Hop. The one and only. "Are you the one that beat the C.E.O. five times in a row? The one on the top toons?"

"I didn't know they could even make them that fast. But I'm retired from the life of an attack toon now. Although I still do have some of my SOS toons." Pop held out eight SOS cards. The magic summoning power imbued in them was still a mystery.

"Only eight?"

"The darn Toon Council won't let you have any more than that, otherwise I would have thirty."

"I sympathize." Jessica took out her debit card. "What are your fees?"

"Now hold on there, missy. You fell asleep on my doorstep. I'm not letting you out until I get a logical explanation for those darts in your bottom."

"Listen, pops, I don't want to put you in danger. Now what are your fees?!"

"Nothing doing. Until you give me an explanation, you're not leaving this hotel."

"Th…That's against the Rules!" Jessica screeched.

"Hey. _No_ one knows the rules as well as I do." Pop remarked ominously as he closed and locked the door behind him.

***

Oh no. Another message from his client.

The C.E.O. hated being ordered around. This toon not only did that, but he talked in the intelligent, upper-class way that was reserved _only_ for cogs. And above all, the C.E.O. didn't even know what his client looked like.

The C.E.O. almost didn't open the link. You know how when you sneer, your nose flares in a really ugly way? The C.E.O. pictured his client's nose ripping off of his face and flying away. But the C.E.O. opened the link anyway. The massive tolerance required was worth the advice given by the unpleasant, irritating person.

"**Hello, my obedient butler whose resources I may use to my advantage. Did it ever occur to you lower life forms that if the C.F.O. kept a safe-helmet on at all times, he would become invincible? Of course it didn't. You have the memory and manners of an orangutan.**"

The C.E.O. had a lot of trouble separating the useful information into one pile, and then putting the insults and irrelevant information into another really _big_ pile that he swept into a virtual trash can.

"**Also, you impudent bag of bolts, have you ever considered having really high level cogs in Toontown Central to destroy the budding attack toons when they start? I feel sorry for your poor, unused brain if you haven't' thought of that before.**"

Ugh. Listening to this crap every week eventually gets irritating.

"**Also, you foul excuse for scrap metal, if you power up Sellbot HQ to the level that other cog HQs are, then the V.P. won't constantly be beat by premature attack toons! That is all.**"

The C.E.O. decided that when this was all over, he would wring that guy's neck, set him on fire, and laugh maniacally. When this was all over. The little headache was too important now.

***

"Just kill me now!" Clancy pleaded. "I'm in hot water as it is!" Clancy saw the video of his buffoonery and nearly lost his head.

"If we had some dip, we would gladly help you commit suicide, but right now, we need as much help as we can get." Woody sympathized. "We want to help you as much as you want to have teeth."

"And how did you know I want that?"

"Because he's psychic." Lucy lied. "Although he's new at it, he probably has more power than you could ever hope to have. You're in sorry shape, and if anyone can fix you, Woody's the one to do it."

Woody was confused at Lucy's sudden outburst, but as attention shifted to him, he quickly nodded his head.

"So what? Are we supposed to be your magical fairy servants or something? No way, José, I'm not buying it. If you can impress me, than sure, I'll play along, but unless you set the sky on fire or something, I'm skedaddling."

Woody took up a meditative stance on the ground. _Any suggestions?_

_There is a way._

_Will it kill me?_

_You won't pass out, given the training you have._

_You have my blessing, pendant._

_Weapon 3194: Explosion. Yes. Activating._

A small ball of light similar to a possessed, glowing chocolate egg wrapped in yellow tinfoil separated from the pendant. Woody directed it as high as he could into the sky. After about fifteen seconds, the sky lit up in an immense explosion. Woody had to get on one knee, but he still grinned at Clancy's gaping face.

Clancy started to babble and point in random directions. "Duh- doy- duh-duh uh wha huh-uh nuh- oh, I give up. You win."

Woody smiled. "How about a picnic? I want to get to know you if we're going to have to work together. Does Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres-" -Woody paused to replace his tongue- "-_Man_, that's a mouthful- does that sound good?"

Woody opened his sticker book to the map page, and his heart froze. Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres was completely grayed out.

***

"…_I don't want to put you in danger."_ –Jessica Goway


	11. Chapter 10: Abducted

Jessica was outraged. She swore on her firstborn child that this… this… _motel_ would go up in flames. But first, she had to get outside.

Jessica tried the window, but Pop was no fool. The window was bolted shut, along with the ventilation shaft and toilet. Dangit! It was like the whole world insisted on keeping her locked up forever.

Jessica tried karate-kicking the door, but she just ended up with a stubbed toe. She started bawling, but quickly stopped herself. Jessica's inner immaturity was acting up because of everything stressful that had occurred in the last few days, and she didn't want it ruining her progress. The only way to suppress the urge to have a temper tantrum was to meditate and eat lots of candy, but that might take days. She summoned all of her willpower and took the stance anyway. She had a few suckers in her boot for emergencies, and this was precisely the time.

But before Jessica could unwrap a single lollipop, she heard a loud banging on the front door. She knelt down and put her ear to the floor. Jessica made out something like:

"Dang igits! The C.E.O. has far too many big cheeses to spare!" Definitely Pop. Through her trained ears, she heard Pop take something out of his pocket. So it was The Big Cheeses that were banging on the door. This spelled trouble.

"Hello, Pop Hop! Glad to-"

"Skip your routine lines! This is an emergency!"

"Whatever, Mr. Bossy Pants." It was the teenage beauty queen Clerk Penny. Ordinarily, being a store clerk would be a major social takedown, but Penny claimed the money earned would be to help homeless toons. But based on the fact that every six toons were given an estate, most toons believed that the money really went toward clothes and jewelry.

Jessica heard the _click_ of Trap Doors materializing on the floor. Just in time, too, for the The Big Cheeses broke down the door. One of them, by the sound of its voice it was a twelve, sneered. "Outada way, losers. This building, along with every one like it, is going up in flames."

Good news: If the cheeses succeeded, Jessica would get her wish. Bad news: If the cheeses succeeded, she would die.

But the cheeses failed to distinguish the Trap Doors from the rest of the wooden floor. Jessica recognized from the monotone screams that the twelve, along with every one of his lackeys, went down the set traps. Jessica looked out of the window and saw multiple cog suit parts cascading off of the roof and onto the street. So that was that.

Suddenly, certain parts of the cog suits shot out of the skin and came alive. Part collided with part, rebuilding itself, except that the new cog wasn't a cog at all, it was a skelecog. This was a version v2.0!

"Ooh, this look bad." Penny said as she and Pop walked cautiously outside. "Hate to leave you, but I have my gag shop to attend to. Bubye now!" Penny pulled out her Telehole, and like that, was gone.

"You're coming with us, bub." the v2.0 lv. 12 informed Pop. "Whether you like it or not."

Another one stepped up and complained, "But what about that other toon? Weren't we supposed to get it too?"

"Not until I get another suit."

"But we have direct orders from the-"

"THE SUIT COMES FIRST!!"

"Sir, your oil pressure."

"Right."

As Pop was dragged off, Jessica roared with maddening laughter. It couldn't have happened to anyone more deserving! But she quickly realized this was her II (inner immaturity) acting up, so she quickly covered up her mouth. She tried to think sad, but she was overcome with the giggles. The window was cracked, so she busted herself out and ran off in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

***

After he terminated the link, the C.E.O. rattled off all of the most foul, putrid swear words he knew, found the worst one, and yelled it so loud the room shook. "Curses! That guy'll be the death of me! I'll shove him into a cubicle so tight that he'll…" The C.E.O. chanted like this for a few hours, shouting all of the other swear words and insults in his hard drive. He wasn't in the best mood.

His dinner party was four days away. He was starting to worry if the escaped toon might spread the word of the torture chamber. That would be… unpleasant, to say the least.

The C.E.O, having recovered from his fit of rage, smoothed out his hair and checked his tracking device.

***

"Duh- doy- duh-duh uh wha huh-uh nuh…" Woody managed.

"Oh, real great impression, wise guy." Clancy scoffed

"N-No, look!"

Tightrope took Woody's sticker book away rather forcefully. As Woody picked himself off the ground, he said, "You know, I'm pretty sure it's in _all_ our sticker books…"

Tightrope's eyes widened. "Way no…"

Lucy strained to read over Tightrope's tall shoulder. "What? What does it say?"

"It's not says it what… but is what it!"

"**You're not to get any better unless you practice, Tightrope.**" Clancy and Woody said in unison.

Tightrope threw a glare toward Clancy and Woody and then took out his own sticker book. He opened it to a certain page, and then threw it on the ground. "Is bad this."

"Tightrope, grammar." Clancy reminded.

"Shut it."

"Good."

Lucy got out her own sticker book and opened it to the map page. She paled. "Oh, my lord. This is an atrocity!"

Woody started shaking. He was in shock. The safe haven of Chip and Dale was known far and wide for its color. The Sticker Co. tried to reflect that as best they could. But what could've happened to them? What was going to happen to the rest of Toontown?

Woody fell to his knees. "I have to go undercover. I have no idea what this force is, but it intends to steal my pendant. I have to keep its power safe from harm."

"Jean like in X-men." Tightrope commented.

"Except they failed to control her power, so Wolverine had to kill her before she destroyed the world."

"Gee, that's a pleasant thought." Woody remarked glumly.

Lucy stepped in. "I'll get you changed. You have to have a codename and whatnot. You need to find out what's going on. And remember: The forces you're dealing with have a lot more tricks up their sleeves than you do."

"Oh, it just gets better and better."

"Devilish plots. Diabolical schemes. Powerful weapons of mass destruction. Treachery without honor. Demonic-"

"Lucy, you're not helping!"

"Sorry."

The wielder of the pendant and friends walked down to change into something suitable for dealing with devilish plots, diabolical schemes, powerful weapons of mass destruction, treachery without honor, and demonic somethings.

***

"…_It just gets better and better."_ –Woody Stockings


	12. Chapter 11: Mickey's Shadow

Jessica recovered after looting Pop's storage. She stocked herself with as much motel candy as she could, and set off for Donald's Dreamland, where Una used to live.

Jessica sighed as she walked the bustling streets of Donald's Dock. She saw some Toon Council officers investigating the cog attack over at Pop Hop's Stop Shop. Jessica didn't like to be the cause of trouble, although it had been her life. She was never wanted. No one seemed to have any used for pink cats anymore, even though they used to be "all that" or whatever.

Jessica was seventeen. She had her whole life ahead of her. So why did the road always seem so short? Jessica stopped at the entrance to Toontown Central. Ugh. The 'happy' place always brought back bad memories. The truth about TC: it was a dreary place. Sure, it had bright colors and the smell of the 'fresh spring day' air freshener, but it was lacking in spirit. No one really lived there.

All of the new toons were busy trying to get the heck out of the place. They bustled everywhere because the tasks were so easy a toon with an expert's help could do it blindfolded. The new toons were shipped off to Donald's Dock as soon as they finished all of their preliminary tasks.

Them gone, there were the shopkeepers. No hotels. No fanfare. No espresso latte shops. Just some warehouses and shops that run as efficiently as the cog's mints. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on the situation. No one in TC ever had time to sit and chat.

And the crème de la crème of TC: its headquarters. The biggest of all of the headquarters and the most visited one. They're so busy, they barely have time for eight hours sleep at nights. They coexisted with the gag shop and trolley system, and split the work and chores with the other branches of TC.

So who did that leave: nobody. Jessica was almost run over by a group of new toons who had just gotten some squirt guns and intended to wreak some havoc. It wasn't dreary for them, but it was dreary for the visitors. No one had time to chat. The missions were too simple for those advanced folk. Jessica kind of missed the naive hustle shown by the small toons who think they run the world. She hoped they wouldn't be let down like she was.

Jessica strolled leisurely toward Loopy Lane, toward Minnie's Melodyland.

***

Hmph. The toon was making her way toward Minnie's Melodyland, at the speed of about 2.3517 miles per hour. Approximately.

The Flunkies had finished cleaning up the dining room. The C.E.O. was getting impatient. Things were never 'all right' in Bossbot Headquarters, or in any of the headquarters, for that matter. But the C.E.O. had to face it: The dining room was ready, the mints were running a profit, toons were getting convicted more and more frequently, and Sellbot sales were at a record high. The client's call was over. The tracking device was working perfectly. There was an oily scent in the air.

The C.E.O. pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The client's words of wisdom were working perfectly. But the C.E.O. is a business man. He knew that anyone who would want to collaborate with a cog would want something in return. The C.E.O. was uneasy, for he didn't know what the client wanted. The cog code of honor stated that all agreements were to be fulfilled. The C.E.O. had already made the agreement.

Soon, he would have to fulfill his end of the bargain.

***

"I feel ridiculous." stated Woody.

Lucy was fixing Woody in a black jumpsuit. He was wearing six pairs of socks, all black, a black ski mask, and black gloves. The jumpsuit was made out of a material that made Woody feel like he was a giant book cover.

When Lucy pulled back the curtain, Clancy burst out laughing. Tightrope chuckled a little behind his amused grin.

"Boy you really fixed him up!" Clancy chortled.

"Look!" Lucy said indignantly. "The jumpsuit conceals easily in the dark. You can hide in the shadows in the daylight. You can use it when you swim."

"Lucy, what-"

"The ski mask conceals Woody's true identity. We wouldn't want our hero getting caught, now would we?"

"Lucy, please-"

"Woody will probably be holding spiky and/or radioactive material. He needs them for protection of his hands."

"Radioactive? But Lucy-"

"In addition, the material can conceal his pendant at all times. It had waterproof pockets and can be used for almost any purpose."

"Lucy, are you finished?"

"Yes."

"Do I have permission to speak?"

"Yes."

"You've stopped talking now?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, what-"

"WAIT!" Lucy yelled.

"WHAT NOW?!"

"You wouldn't want to forget your pendant, now would you?"

"Geez, I already have it!" Woody showed Lucy the pendant that was tucked beneath his jumpsuit.

"Now, what do I look like?"

"Hmm… like shadow Mickey's." Tightrope said.

"'Mickey's shadow, I would presume?'" Clancy asked.

"Duh. Try to understand better me next time." Tightrope scoffed.

"Mickey's Shadow…" Woody mused. "I like it."

"So we're agreed. Mickey's Shadow it is." Lucy stated. "So, where are you going first?"

Woody sighed. "I hate to admit it, but it's time I righted my wrongs in Donald's Dreamland. I wonder how much they hate me now than when I tore down half their neighborhood."

"Only way one to find out." Tightrope said.

The quartet marched off and truly began their journey.

***

"_We wouldn't want our hero getting caught, now would we?"_ –Lucy Clemens


	13. Chapter 12: Reparation

Jessica had just passed Loopy Lane, and was heading toward Minnie's Melodyland's playground, when she saw a toon passed out on the street. She rushed over to help.

It looked strangely familiar. Jessica noticed that the cat's long pants were torn. Wait, long pants? Toons didn't wear long pants! Except for one toon she knew, before she got captured. It was her only boyfriend, Nik, the friend that made it out of the golf courses. It was romantic, the nights they shared. He had the greatest smile. When their lips met, fireworks seemed to arc her body. That toon was a black cat.

_This_ toon was a black cat.

Jessica stifled a scream. Her only romantic partner was passed out on the street! Jessica started to pull him off the road, but his arms were icy. Jessica felt ready to pass out. She fell over, crying. With all of her remaining sense, she felt Nik for a pulse.

None.

Jessica fell over Nik's body, and wept.

***

Hmm, this was odd. The pink cat's life signs were going up and down like a roller coaster. The C.E.O. checked for a malfunction.

The C.E.O. saw that the nanobots were working perfectly, so he bent over another computer and checked his e-mail. He clicked on the send/receive button and the little 'you got mail' mail truck swerved, made an illegal U-turn, and stopped, signaling a new message. Why the V.P. included that tedious little video in the program, the C.E.O. had no idea.

The C.E.O. opened his newest mail and saw that the bossbots he had sent after the pink cat had gone AWOL due to 'emergency suit repair.' Hard to find good help these days. C.E.O. considered putting those extra million cogbucks into getting his own V2.0 upgrade. It would be a nifty little trick to surprise those toons with a second fight when they were already worn out, though the more sensible solution was to have a buffet and toss the idea of having servants serving oil altogether. The toons took those suits too easily, and the problem could be easily fixed.

The C.E.O. shut down his PC and made a mental note to have that fixed.

***

Woody had never dreamed of going on an adventure like this. For most toons, getting a new gag track qualifies as an adventure. They would never dream of repairing a town brick by brick and only having to take a nap afterwards.

Lucy shivered as she ran up beside Woody. "So, Mr. Hero, how do you suppose we do this?"

"I have absolutely no clue." Woody replied unflinchingly.

"Well, that's an honest answer." Lucy muttered as she struggled to keep up with Woody. "After all that planning, Woody, I would think you should know what to do."

The twosome clambered through the ruins of Donald's Dreamland. Woody was very cautious. He had already dressed in his somewhat ridiculous attire and decided that the best place to repair was at the playground.

They ran into some minor problems along the way. Lucy stubbed her toe on a rock, and Woody almost dropped his pendant into a drainage pipe. But, thanks to his quick reflexes, he only swallowed half a mouthful.

When they got to the center of the playground, they ran into a major problem: the whole thing was set up as a field hospital. The wounded were being cared for in the HQ, while sleeping bags lined the floors that made the whole playground look like a homeless shelter. Seeing all of this made Woody feel horribly guilty, but he knew he was about to set things right.

Woody concentrated.

_Ready, Pendant?_

_Weapon 1424: Invisibility. Yes. Activated._

Woody turned invisible. Lucy wasn't surprised, for they'd planned this ahead of time.

_Weapon 1444: Reconstruction. Yes. Activated._

_Hey, Pendant, why are all of your functions called weapons?_

_They were all originally used as weapons. For example, Reconstruction was originally used to rebuild a powerful weapon._

The shattered stones around the ruined playground started to fit themselves together with invisible glue. Slowly at first, the buildings righted themselves, the tunnels un-collapsed, and the dust cleared. Knives became unbent. Nails became straight. In a few minutes, Donald's Dreamland was as good as new.

Shopkeeper toons started to get out of their sleeping bags. They were awed at what was happening. Some teared up. Others demanded information from the HQ officers. Most just thought it was a miracle.

Woody was drained a great deal, but his effort wasn't for naught. Lucy dropped the card as planned, and together they teleported home.

The card had a picture of Mickey Mouse. It read:

_Thank the shadow._

***

"_Well, that's an honest answer."_ –Lucy Clemens


	14. Chapter 13: The Report

No, it can't be. There's got to be some other explanation. _Any_ explanation.

As night fell over Minnie's Melodyland, Jessica was shaking with grief. It just wasn't fair! Nik didn't deserve this!

Jessica fell over, weeping the loss of her only love. She was hysterical. It just wasn't right.

Nik was the only one to escape from the Back Nine in Bossbot HQ; he was probably going for help. So what happens? He gets killed by some madman for no reason. Nik _can't_ be dead. He just _can't_ be.

There must be some other explanation. Toons just don't kill like that. Nik must've just… moved on? No, that can't be it. He was in his prime. Jessica checked Nik's body for signs of cancer. None. Dangit!

It just can't be. Jessica couldn't stop crying. She knew now. _She_ had been the cause of Nik's death. _She_ wasn't strong enough to escape with him, to protect him. She had to find the person responsible for this tragedy, and put an end to him. But she also needed to find info on what Una was doing in the last week of her life. What would she do? Jessica just couldn't decide.

Jessica heard someone from around the corner snap their fingers. She ran to find him, but she didn't see anyone.

It didn't matter. Jessica had made up her mind. Revenge it is.

***

Crap!

The tracking signal went completely blank after lingering for some time in Minnie's Melodyland. The C.E.O. cursed under his breath. That _must_ have had something to do with the life signs going haywire. There goes the C.E.O's big plot.

The C.E.O. was in a rancor mood already. The Killjoy disease had met some toon resistance. The entire Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres region was being disinfected. But it was no matter. The C.E.O. was completely sure that some toons were already infected. With luck, this new disease would decimate the entire Attack Toon population.

The C.E.O. got his big book out to try and encode the data of the disease in his hard drive. The book read:

Killjoy disease:

Symptoms: 

-Severe depression

-Lack of participation in fun activities

-Dulling of color

-Pupils Disappearing

Cure: Apply Megathon through nose every eight hours. When depression recedes, typical Laff point increasing measures can be applied. The disease spreads through Laff Treasures, such as the Ice Cream Cone or Starfish, so stay away from those substances. The slow and steady way of being in a playground is the best way to go. If symptoms don't recede in a week, consult a mortician. The infected toon will most likely commit suicide.

The C.E.O. cringed at that last part, even though he highly doubted that toons even had morticians. The reason he had even recreated Killjoy disease is because the Chairman suggested that the toons should kill themselves rather than making the C.E.O. have to do it for them.

When the toon attack force was at its weakest, the C.E.O. would launch the biggest invasion of all time. The next day after that would be his dinner party. It was midnight, so the party was only three days away now. The C.E.O. yawned. He'd better get some rest.

The C.E.O. shifted into sleep mode.

***

Woody crashed out on a couch the moment he and Lucy materialized in his house. Lucy sat down next to Tightrope, who was sitting next to Clancy. Their eyes were glued to the screen.

"Guys, you've _got_ to see this." Clancy gaped.

"That'll be tough, considering I can barely keep my eyes open." Woody mumbled. He shifted to face the screen. On it was a pink dog female reporter.

"**So it seems, as of today, that a conscious effort is being made to fight this new epidemic. The disease was recently discovered in Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres where the region started to completely lose color. The air there, as reported by the citizens, is, "dank and musty, the smell of Bossbot HQ." Is this an attempt made by Bossbots to try and defeat Toontown? Ask disease expert, Gerry Erm.**"

After some automated applause, a green duck in a lab coat stepped onscreen and took the mic.

"**Well, as of late, all we've figured out here at the lab is that the spreading virus is called the Killjoy disease, the original threat that chased toons over the hills to the right of Acorn Acres. We here at the lab have predicted that either Bossbot HQ recreated the disease, or that it seeped through the cracks in the fence that separates the mainland from the worlds beyond.**"

The pink dog reporter took back the mic.

"**In lighter news, a miracle of miracles happened in Donald's dreamland today, for everything hit in the initial blast mysteriously repaired itself. A mysterious letter stated that Woody Stockings was the culprit, err, hero, for he or she says that he caused the first explosion. We don't yet know how, for the letter and its sender are completely vague. However, near the entrance to Pajama Place was a card that had a picture of the well-known Mickey Mouse on the front, and on the inside it had a simple three words: "**_**Thank the shadow.**_**" It seems we have a masked hero in Toontown, **_**Mickey's Shadow**_**!**"

***

"_Thank the shadow."_ –Written by Woody Stockings


	15. Chapter 14: Fight For Him

Jessica was weaving her way in between the masses. She was heading toward Bossbot HQ because she thought the C.E.O. had killed Nik, reasons being that there were barbed wire marks around his knees and bruises around his head, the marks of the cog attacks Power Trip and Play Hardball.

Jessica's eyes were glassy. She hadn't had anything to eat since she stole that piece of cake in Chip n' Dale's acorn acres. She was fully alert and agile, but she caught more than one glance from most toons.

She was in great pain, mentally. She had a migraine. She knew she had been the cause of Nik's death, and it bothered her. She slumped down onto a Toontown bench. Every muscle in her body ached.

A middle-aged green cat sat down beside her.

"Who're you?" she asked with her words badly slurred. It sounded more like, _Whosmoo?_

The green cat turned to face her. He had sunglasses on. The cat offered Jessica an energy bar. Jessica took it, unwrapped it, and scarfed it down, but never took her eyes off the strange cat. His form shimmered a little bit, but Jessica assumed that was because of her blurry vision. Every now and then he tilted at a black chain around his neck.

He tilted in and Jessica heard something in her mind. "_Fight for him._" The sound of the voice made Jessica swoon. When she opened her eyes again, the cat was gone. She wondered what that meant. But one thing was certain: she was now more determined than ever to find who killed Nik, and put an end to him. Jessica got up, and walked on.

***

The C.E.O. had sent an everlasting invasion. What he got from it was a huge pile of recyclables. The C.E.O. muttered a curse under his breath and rubbed his temples. Today was not his day.

Attack toons were planning to invade his dinner party, he was sure. The very thought of it made the C.E.O. want to rig the elevator to make it explode. But he couldn't do that to the toons.

The C.E.O. had a splitting headache, and he didn't know why. Robots didn't get headaches. They got Error 14271, but that was a different matter involving oodles of math and Tylenol.

The C.E.O. heard someone snap his fingers.

The C.E.O. turned around, but there wasn't anyone there. He sounded a minor alarm, and a V2.0 The Big Cheese ran in.

"You rang, sir?" it asked.

"Yes. There is an infiltrator near this room. I haven't authorized any finger-snapping, have I?"

"Only on Finger-snapping Tuesday, sir, the last Tuesday in November."

"Anyway, find the finger-snapper and have him terminated at once."

The C.E.O. had barely noticed that his other hand was searching for a button on his control pad…

***

"So they found out." Clancy said. "Didn't take that long."

"Toontown does even have scientists?" Tightrope asked.

"Yeah. The Toon Council opened positions strictly for gag research and possible threats for fun." Woody explained.

The telephone rang. Lucy got up and got it. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Yes, who…" Woody mumbled. He hadn't planned on the amount of strength the pendant had sapped from him. Woody almost fell asleep listening to the boring reports on T.V. of the building that had burned down. Funny, the building looked almost like Pop's shop… Hey, wait a minute…

_Thump._ Lucy hit the floor in a faint. Tightrope ran over to help her.

"What happened?" Clancy inquired. "She was fine a minute ago!"

Woody moaned. "Pop's shop…"

Clancy's eyes got big as he watched the reporter's report. "It can't be… Woody, from what you told me about Pop, this is very, _very_ bad."

Woody couldn't answer. He was asleep.

Tightrope dragged Lucy into Woody's bedroom and locked the door. It was a good thing too, because there was a distinct banging on the door.

"Holy cream pies! It's the TIA!" Clancy yelled. He took a deep breath, tucked the toothbrush under his shirt, and answered the door. Behind it were two toons, a purple moose and a red pig.

"Yonto Furries? Sir Ete?" Clancy asked.

The moose named Yonto Furries narrowed his eyebrows. "State your motives, private, for being here."

Clancy gulped. These were high-ranking TIA agents. If they were here because of Pop, things must be pretty bad. "Uh, I was investigating the Donald's Dreamland Reparation, uh, sir. Your majesty, sir."

"Shut it, private. Everyone knows that letter was written in a non-toon hand. Everyone at HQ thinks it's cog typing, but the Toon Council disagrees. But enough gab. You have been ordered back to HQ on the grounds of underachievement."

"W-What?!"

Sir Ete rolled his eyes. "You've been fired, dummy!"

"N-No, it can't be. I was the first in my class…" Reluctantly, Clancy handed over his badge. Part of him went with it.

"And, another thing, civilian, what happened to Tightrope?" Yonto asked quizzically.

Clancy felt like he'd just gotten sucker-punched. "He… left."

Yonto rubbed his chin. "Going AWOL… that's not like young Tightrope. We'd better send out a search party. In the meantime, where's the one called Woody Stockings?"

Clancy paused for a moment. "He's… asleep. It's the middle of the night, you know."

Yonto glanced at his watch. "Very much so. I'll come back in the morning. In the meantime, _you're_ coming with me!"

Yonto grabbed Clancy's arm. "Hey, easy on the arteries! I only get a few, you know."

Clancy was thrown into a teleportation hole that Sir Ete had laid out. Yonto and Sir Ete followed him.

Meanwhile, Tightrope had woken up Lucy by throwing pies at her. Being a toon, naturally she giggled until she woke up in fits of laughter. The bed was ruined, but that was a different matter.

"Oh my, oh, ohhhhh… I haven't had that good a laugh in ages." Lucy chuckled.

_I can see why_, Tightrope thought, but he kept it to himself. "Alright you?"

"Better, but… is it really true what happened to Pop's shop?"

Tightrope nodded grimly.

Lucy thought she was going to pass out again, but she composed herself. After all her and Pop were through, he couldn't just be… _gone_. "We'd… better go check on Woody and Clancy.

When they walked through the doorway, they found Woody, sleeping like a baby, and a tiny box on the floor.

Tightrope's eyes widened. He picked up the little box, and pushed one side. A recording said, "_You've been fired, dummy!... N-No, it can't be. I was the first in my class… And, another thing, civilian, what happened to Tightrope?...He… left…Going AWOL… that's not like young Tightrope. We'd better send out a search party. In the meantime, where's the one called Woody Stockings?... He's… asleep. It's the middle of the night, you know… Very much so. I'll come back in the morning. In the meantime, you're coming with me!... Hey, easy on the arteries! I only get a few, you know…_"

Tightrope threw the box to the floor with such force it cracked the marble. "Yonto stupid… Sir Ete stupid…"

Lucy put a hand on Tightrope's shoulder. "We'll get him back. In the meantime, we need to stay at my place."

"Hiding going into?" Tightrope whimpered.

"I don't like it either, but for right now, it's our only option. Now, help me carry Woody."

***

"…_have him terminated at once."_ –The C.E.O.


	16. Chapter 15: Silent

Jessica was on Punchline Place.

Jessica's clothes were tattered. Her hair was a mess. She had to duck in and out of alleyways to avoid being seen. She hated it all. She hated everyone.

She hated the whole world for making her who she is. She hated the world for killing Nik. She wanted everyone and everything gone. She would build a new paradise, all her own.

The migraine was worse now. Tears rolled down Jessica's cheeks, it was so painful. It was like someone had invaded her mind and started attacking the fiber of her being. She forgot who she was, where she was going. She only knew that she had to walk on.

Finally, she could bare it no longer. Jessica collapsed on the pavement.

Suddenly, she was in a world of black smoke. The smoke didn't harm her, only… soothed her. The migraine was gone. But that wasn't her worry. Where was she? She couldn't even see any ground from where she was standing.

She saw a blurry figure on the horizon. It zoomed toward her at about five hundred miles per hour. Jessica shielded herself with her hands, but when she opened her eyes, the figure was in front of her. It was the green cat with… red pupils? She saw him in Toontown Central once. But there was a crucial fact she hadn't noticed the first time: The toon was missing an arm.

Jessica gasped in horror. This experience was terrifying enough, let alone having to deal with this freak.

_My name is Silent._ Jessica heard in her mind. _It would do you well not to call everyone you meet a freak._ The voice was quadrupled, like four cats were talking at once. It had an echo that repeated several times before becoming too weak to hear.

_W-who asked you?_ Jessica responded in her mind. She was utterly terrified.

A hollow laugh repeated in Jessica's mind. _I have trouble remembering business before pleasure, Jessica; it would do you well not to make me forget._

It was creepy. Silent never moved his lips the whole time he was 'talking.'

_I have a sense you lost your dearly beloved, correct? There is a way to get him back._

Now_ I'm listening._

_Good. Now, listen carefully. Have you heard about Donald's Dreamland?_

_Not recently._

_Hmm. There is a magical pendant that has extraordinary powers. It destroyed and rebuilt Donald's Dreamland. If you get it for me, I'll not only be able to destroy the C.E.O, but_ _can also bring your lover back to life. But first, it has to be connected to the chain around my neck, the Chain of Madness._

_And why should I trust you?_

A hollow laugh once again echoed in Jessica's mind. The real silent even smirked a little.

_What other choice do you have? Nik's dead. Una's dead. TomTom Cat and Dag are dead. Your parents are-_

_Alright, alright already! Fine. I'll do as you wish._ Jessica was barely able to think that, for she was flooded with memories that made her angry and hurt at the loss of her friends.

_Do you swear on your soul?_

Jessica gulped. It would be stupid to agree, but what other choice did she have?_ Fine. I swear on my soul that I'll follow Silent's orders._ A red X appeared over Jessica's glove. The deal was made.

_And, by the way, you need new clothes. I can see your underwear in multiple places through your dress._

Jessica blushed._ Did you have to go and say that?_

_It's not like anyone else is here. _

A pink blouse and pink top materialized. _Take this._

The gorgeous outfit floated down to Jessica. It was made of soft silk. From the look of it, it would make Jessica look perfectly harmless. _So, like, where's the dressing room?_

'_Dressing room?'_

_It's not I'm going to change here in front of you!_

_Pbth. I know all and see all in this realm. It's not like it'll make a difference._

Jessica turned red. _Please? To make be comfortable._

Jessica heard a sigh in her mind.

_Very well._ Silent 'said.'

The smoke clumped together to form four walls and a roof. Although Jessica still couldn't see the ground, it was still _some_ privacy. When she took off the tattered dress, it fell right through the 'floor' into nothingness. She put on the fresh clothes. As soon as the blouse fell into place, the walls disintegrated, and she was face to face with Silent.

Jessica jumped three feet backwards._ Eep! Do you have to get so close?_

_This is important._ Silent floated toward her. _It's what you have to do. My orders, remember?_

_Gotcha._

Jessica listened patiently. This was going to be a _long_… whatever time of day it was.

***

"**Uh, sir, we have a problem.**"

The C.E.O. looked at the Red Alert Line screen, on which a V2.0 The Big Cheese was reporting. "Well, what is it? Be careful, you're already on thin ice for using the Red Alert Line."

"**Well, it seems, sir that you've authorized the deliberate capture of toons and sending them to the dungeon.**"

"WHAT?! I did nothing of the sort!"

"**Well, uh, sir, the button is on **_**your**_** control pad.**"

The C.E.O. looked at the button he had unknowingly pushed. "Well, cancel the orders!"

"**Uh, we can't sir. You've unleashed the Hounds.**"

All of the oil drained from the C.E.O's face. "T-T-T-The h-h-hounds?" The C.E.O. stammered.

"**Yes, uh, sir.**"

"CALL IN ALL FORCES! MAKE SURE NO COG GETS DESTROYED BY THOSE HOUNDS! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

The cog was blown back by the C.E.O's volume, but it managed: "**Uh, sir yes sir!**"

And three days before the dinner party too… what a mess this was. And the C.E.O. even had a migraine to go with it. The C.E.O. just hoped no poor toons would get hurt.

***

Woody woke up at Lucy's place.

He vaguely remembered Clancy getting kidnapped by those other TIA agents. A scent wafted in the room. Scrambled eggs. Woody's stomach growled. He rushed out of his room and followed the scent.

When he was seated at the table, Tightrope was halfheartedly eating his eggs. Lucy was somber. She didn't even make a boatload of eggs like she usually does.

A flood of memories came back to Woody. He adopted the solemn tone of breakfast. No one talked. No one made merry. Two of the group members were missing. Even in Toontown, it wasn't a time to joke around.

When everyone was finished, Woody said, "We have to split up."

"WHAT?!" Lucy and Tightrope exclaimed.

"You heard me. I have to find out what caused the Killjoy Disease to resurface. Lucy, you have to find out what happened to Pop. And Tightrope, you need to get Clancy back."

"Speak I can't!" Tightrope said in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm not leaving you!" Lucy cried out. "We've been through so much together!"

"I don't like it either, but it's the only way. Each task of ours is just as important as the others. Trust me, we'll all be fine." Woody explained, though he sounded a little uncertain himself.

Lucy and Tightrope both nodded. What Woody had said was true.

The trio washed the dishes in silence. Then they went their separate ways.

***

"_I know all and see all in this realm."_ -Silent


	17. Chapter 16: Tightrope's Story

Tightrope snuck into TCHQ. All was quiet.

Tightrope had made a card that says, "I have Laryngitis," so he didn't have to say anything. He showed the HQ officers the card, but made sure to hide his badge.

Every TIA agent knows that the Master Headquarters is below TCHQ. All you need to do is walk through the wall. Part of the wall, the glass pane, can be walked through. Then you walk through some more chambers until you hit solid rock. It can be quite painful to a newcomer, but Tightrope cleared it with ease.

Then it gets tricky. Tightrope had to show his badge to the ceiling, which read it, and the whole room zoomed downward. Tightrope was practically floating until the elevator had a sudden stop. A laser cut across the elevator and almost sliced Tightrope in half, but he deflected it with his badge at the last second.

A door appeared. Tightrope walked through, and it disappeared behind him. The security here was _tight_. Tightrope had to show his badge every five seconds to make a door appear, or multiple doors, and he had to make a split second decision or a laser would slice him in half. It was designed to keep intruders out, but more than one new employee had been severed trying to get through.

At last, Tightrope reached an open corridor. He followed it until he reached Toontown Minimum Security Prison.

An open play area, it was designed to look like a toon party, except it was one hundred times bigger and you could never leave. Or _want_ to leave, for that matter. Tightrope stayed out of the brainwashing activities, and weaved through some juvenile delinquents.

Some toons go missing. Others go _missing_. The TIA will kidnap toons that are found causing trouble, or were in trouble. Entire families disappeared to keep the story secret. It never bothered Tightrope before, but now that he'd met Woody, he was beginning to wonder…

Most of the toons that were here were on rehab. Tightrope saw a toon with nicotine patches on every square inch of his skin. Some girls that were here had gotten into… boy trouble. Tightrope tried not to think about it.

Tightrope would contact Clancy using his badge, but Clancy didn't have a badge anymore. It was how they always stayed in touch, and having no communications with Clancy irritated Tightrope.

Tightrope found Clancy playing Party Catch. He looked like he was having a good time, even though he was constantly being shoved aside by the younger toons. Tightrope grabbed Clancy and pulled him out of the game. Clancy kicked and struggled, but Tightrope put his hand over Clancy's mouth so he wouldn't be able to call for help.

Tightrope really hated doing this to his best friend, but he used the hypnotism technique that prisoners are trained to react to anyway. He showed Clancy his badge. Clancy's pupils expanded. He stared at the badge and followed it around. Tightrope lead Clancy to the exit while looking for TIA badges.

It was too good to be true. Right when Tightrope finished playing follow the leader with Clancy in the elevator lobby, he met Yonto and Sir Ete.

"Tightrope… Yonto said with gritted teeth. "You know very well that prisoners aren't allowed out of their cell. I'm afraid I'll have to revoke your badge for a little."

"Stop!" Tightrope got in front of Clancy, and dropped his badge behind him. "I. Challenge. You. To. A. Clash."

"What?"

Tightrope's expression never wavered.

"I'm your superior officer! You need to challenge someone of your own strength."

Tightrope pointed to Sir Ete.

Sir Ete chuckled. "Funny, I seem to outrank you, too. But I'm in the mood for a quick bite." Sir Ete bared his large teeth.

Tightrope knew he was hopelessly outmatched, but he had a plan. He aimed his special dart gun to the elevator.

The rules for a clash are simple: first to knock the other to the ground wins.

Tightrope ducked under Sir Ete's first bite. That guy has some _big_ teeth. Tightrope threw some quick punches, but always kept one hand on his dart gun, waiting for an opportunity. Sir Ete went on all fours and tried to strike beneath Tightrope's guard, but Tightrope just jumped over Sir Ete's head. Sir Ete quickly turned around and tried to strike in midair, but Tightrope jabbed him in the stomach.

While Sir Ete was down, Tightrope shot a dart to the elevator, badge attached. Clancy raced after it. Yonto tried to stop him, but it was too late. Tightrope jumped over Yonto and caught the ride home.

When he got to the top, Tightrope knew he wouldn't be a TIA agent anymore. He smashed his badge on the elevator floor. It would be blocked, anyway, next time he tried to use it, and anyway, he needed Clancy back.

"Ohhhhh, my head… What happened?" Clancy asked.

Tightrope said nothing.

"Where're we going?"

"Chip n' Dale's Acres Acorn." Tightrope said. "We're going meet to Lucy and Woody there."

"Oh."

***

"_You need to challenge someone of your own strength." _–Yonto Furries


	18. Chapter 17: Lucy's Story

Lucy had a black robe wrapped around her. She quietly inspected the wreckage of Pop Hop's Stop Shop. It was sad. It was even sadder that the whole place was grayscale.

Lucy was shocked at how fast the Killjoy Disease spread. It completely grayed out Donald's Dock and was now working on The Brrrgh, Daisy's Gardens, and Toontown Central.

Lucy had seen on a T.V. report earlier that some new toons had come down with Killjoy Disease, and were in a state of little hope. She'd better not stay long, lest she come down with it too.

Wait a minute… were these footprints? Definitely a cog's. It leads right here… and then disappears. Some Bossbot cog suits were dropped, there's no mistaking it, Bossbots took Pop.

Lucy went to TCHQ.

When she went to the desk, the HQ officer, a yellow rabbit, looked up from her newspaper. "What'cha want?" she asked.

"I know about what happened at Pop Hop's Stop Shop."

"Good." she said, looking back down at her paper. "File it with all the others." the rabbit pointed to a huge stack of papers, undoubtedly from others who 'knew' what happened.

Lucy took out a Bossbot suit part and set it on the table. "How about this?"

The yellow rabbit sighed. "Ma'am, thousands of bossbots are destroyed on that street, now if you don't mind-"

"Interesting. I don't recall thousands of _level twelve V2.0 The Big Cheeses_ being destroyed on that street."

The rabbit's eyes widened. "Th-That could've come from anywhere."

Lucy brought out a jar filled with sawdust shavings. "These are authentic shavings from Donald's Dock, also found on the suit part. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

Lucy walked out of TCHQ while the HQ officer hastily radioed her superiors.

***

"_Interesting. I don't recall…"_ –Lucy Clemens


	19. Chapter 18: Woody's Story

Woody was walking on Punchline Place when a dress that looked like it had been eaten alive by moths fell in front of him. Whether it was an omen or a coincidence, he had no idea.

He was walking along when he saw a familiar black cat sitting in an alley. He barely recognized her. "Rosita?" he blinked.

"Woody?" Rosita looked at Woody. Woody was a little shocked at seeing his crush right here in front of him, but he almost had second thoughts. Rosita looked like she had gained twenty pounds since he had last seen her, if not more. She used to be really attractive, with a million love struck toons floating behind her. Now, she just had a pretty face. But Woody tried to block all of the nasty thoughts out of his mind. Rosita had been his friend for _ages_.

"What's that around your neck?"

"Uh, nothing." Woody and Rosita had both been party animals, and childhood friends before that, too, so he didn't want to get her into trouble.

"Oh, C'mon."

She started to close in on him, but Woody just said. "Look, Rosita, if you push me with this, you'll get into more trouble than you'd ever think possible. Like _dying_ trouble. So you never saw me, alright?"

"Woody…" Rosita started getting all teary eyed, and Woody knew immediately he'd said the wrong thing. "We did everything together."

"Look, I'm serious, Rosita."

"We were _Party Animals_!"

"ROSITA!"

Rosita backed off.

"Were you… _at_ the last meeting?" Woody asked with a shaking voice.

Rosita pulled up the sleeve of her right arm, and showed Woody a scar, definitely made from a shard of glass. It was a little strange, though…

Woody gulped. "_I_… caused that."

"No…"

Woody knew he was going too far, but he had to do this. He revealed the pendant. "_This_… is what caused it." Woody said with gritted teeth. "The _Pendant of Psyche_ chose _me_ to be its wielder, and I _royally_ screwed up. And I don't want to _hurt_ you, so _back_… _off_."

Rosita's expression hardened. "No."

Woody blinked back some tears. "Then come with me."

Rosita and Woody were walking in silence through the bleak Donald's Dock.

Woody spied a pink/peach toon in a beautiful pink blouse and top, about seventeen or eighteen, walking through the streets. She spotted them, and headed their way.

Woody looked at her and gawked. She looked like she'd just come out of her senor prom. Woody gulped and looked away. He tried to keep moving.

The toon stopped Woody in his tracks. She looked like she'd come out of nowhere, but since toons can teleport to other toons in the same vicinity, it wasn't all that strange.

"Looks like you attract a crowd, Woody." Rosita said sarcastically.

"Hi. What's your name?"

"Uh… Woody." Woody felt his face getting hot. "If you don't mind, we're heading somewhere important."

"Care if I join you?"

Woody was about to say _Not at all!_, but he bit his tongue.

"Yes, we do, so move along, little girl." Rosita said indignantly.

"_Little girl_. As if." the toon walked past Rosita, completely ignoring her. "So, Woody, the name's Jessica."

"Uh…" Woody stammered. He was starting to get a headache just from looking at the attractive teen.

"Aw, how cute! And what's that around your neck? I didn't think boys accessorized any more." Jessica cooed. "Think you could spare the time for a quick glance?"

Woody was about to show Jessica the pendant, but stopped himself, seeing Rosita's expression. Rosita was pretty red.

Rosita shoved Woody aside to get face to face with Jessica. "Listen, are you asking for a fight?"

"Well, I'm certainly in better shape than you are." Jessica scoffed.

Woody stepped in between the girls. "Woah, woah, here. Let's not start off on the wrong foot... Jessica, right? Unless you know _exactly_ why and where we're going, could you, uh… move along?"

Jessica sighed. "All right, let's see… Woody you're going to Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres to find out more about Killjoy Disease."

Rosita, by this time, was really furious. "Woody, why should we let this… this _stalker_ join our group?"

"You know, Woody, she's got a point." Jessica said.

"You see Wood-… hey, why'd _you_ take _my_ side?"

Jessica threw her hands up. "I'm just saying." she walked over to a gray lamppost. "Why would you want a-" -Jessica karate-chopped the lamppost in half- "-stalker-" -she jumped ten feet in the air to chop it again with her foot- "-like me-" -she grabbed the two pieces, did a flip, and flung them with such force into the side of a building that they stuck there, sideways- "-in your group, am I right?" Jessica fell lightly to the ground, and dusted off her hands.

Rosita stared. After staring for about thirty seconds, she threw up her hands in defeat. "Whatever. You can come."

"All right! Now we're talking!" Jessica got up close to Woody. Rosita glared at her, and she backed off. "I'm starved. Where can we get some grub?"

At Jessica's request, the group teleported back to Toontown Central. Woody was a little uneasy, but he knew he had about five hours to get to Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres, and that was plenty of time, Jessica reasoned, to get some food and get back in time to meet his friends.

Rosita was grumbling the whole way. Woody tried to talk to Jessica, she seemed nice enough, but he was interrupted every five minutes by Rosita for something or other. "Woody which way do we turn?" "Woody, do you have a Kleenex?" and that sort of thing.

Even now, when Woody was trying to have a conversation with Jessica, Rosita interrupted, "Woody, why aren't there any cogs here?"

"Rosita, please!"

"No, she's serious, Woody, look!" Jessica exclaimed.

Rosita was right. Middle of the day, and there wasn't a cog to be found on the street. That goes far beyond the reach of any normality in Toontown. Woody tried not to let it bother him.

"Hey, there's a restaurant up ahead." Jessica said.

The sign read: _Informal Occasions_.

"Geez, we can't afford that." Woody said.

"I only brought enough money for tacos." Rosita complained.

"Man, when will kids ever learn to come prepared?" Jessica said with a smile. She took a huge jar out of her bottomless pocket. "I brought enough for fifty."

When they got inside the restaurant, they sat at a table for four. Rosita forcefully insisted to sit by Woody, so Jessica sat across from him.

"So, Woody, I hear you're on the toon council." Jessica stated.

"Well, yeah, it's not like I'm a top banana like Dimitri or anything…" Woody blushed.

"Oh come on. Toon Council is the crème de la crème of Toontown. You _have_ to be good to even get on."

"You really think so?"

"Course. You need all of your level seven gags, not to mention one hundred twenty Laff points and a nomination by Flippy."

"Well, I did get nominated… how many gags do you have?"

"I have all of my level sevens except my Toon-up."

"I'm surprised. You seem cheerful enough."

Jessica laughed. She and Woody held hands.

Rosita got up and stormed over to Jessica, whispered something in her ear, and they both went to the ladies' room.

Once inside, Rosita said, "Alright Miss Dreamy, lay off Woody."

"My, you're being awfully territorial."

"I mean it! Woody doesn't have time for saps like you."

"Back at ya, sister." Jessica yawned. "You see, red-face, Woody was having a mighty good time out there, and no matter how much you want him, you have to _earn_ him. Because if you don't…" Jessica turned her back to Rosita. "…_I_ will."

Rosita was more than enraged at this point. She felt something in her hands go _shhhk_. Without thinking, she lunged at Jessica.

Jessica screamed. She felt sharp pains in her back. She wanted to strike back, but she couldn't. That would ruin everything.

Woody heard Jessica and turned his pendant on. He burst into the ladies' room. he saw Rosita, with bloody, metallic claws sticking out of her gloves. She gave Woody a vile smirk. "Here's a brainbuster, Woody. Guess who did this to me. Because I have to report back to him now."

Woody was too stunned to react. He could only duck as Rosita(?) sailed over his head. "Oh, and one more thing, Woody." Rosita called. "Be careful who you make friends with. Because it could end up just. Like. Me." Rosita laughed wickedly and ran out the door.

Woody ran over to the bleeding Jessica.

_Pendant, please heal her._

_Weapon 1729: Healing. Yes. Activated._

The cuts and bruises on Jessica's back began to close, and the scars began to fade. She sat up when the process was done. "I swear, I didn't strike first."

"I-I'm s-so sorry, J-Jessica. I-I s-swear I d-didn't kn-know." Woody stammered.

"Hey, no one expected you to. Now, we'd better get to Acorn Acres. Holding hands all the way."

Woody smiled such a… warm smile… Jessica was beginning to have second thoughts…

***

"_Let's not get off on the wrong foot."_ –Woody Stockings


	20. Chapter 19: The Hounds

Woody met Tightrope, Lucy, and Clancy at a gray picnic table in Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres.

"Who's your friend?" Clancy asked.

"She's new. Jessica- Lucy, Tightrope, and Clancy. Lucy, Tightrope, and Clancy- Jessica."

"How do you do?" Jessica asked as she shook everybody's hands.

"My, aren't you pretty?" Lucy said.

Jessica looked around. "I'm afraid I won't be when I get out of this."

They all nodded gravely.

"We'd better get going. First we-" Woody was cut off by a _Thump. Thump. Thump_ that shook the ground.

On the horizon, a two giant figures appeared. They were about thirty feet tall and the shape of… of…

"Pluto?" Lucy asked no one in particular.

Yeah, him. Two giant robotic Plutos with red lights for eyes and whips for tails. If Mickey was a ten-story high robot, this would be his pet.

Clancy helped Lucy hide, which left Tightrope, Jessica, and Woody on the battlefield.

"Shouldn't be you on the sidelines?" Tightrope yelled to Jessica.

"It's _you be_, and why does everyone underestimate the girl in the pretty blouse?" Jessica shouted, annoyed.

"Change into a short skirt if you want to look intimidating!" Woody yelled.

"Ha ha."

Pluto No. 1 charged Woody. Woody tried to cut it in half with a minilaser, but it just deflected off of the metal and almost cut Jessica in half.

"Eek!" Jessica yelled, part of her dress getting sawed off. "Be a little careful next time!" She dashed up the leg of Pluto No. 2 and leaped up to the eye.

Tightrope tried to imitate Jessica, but unlike her, he wasn't designed to climb trees, especially big metal legs. Instead, he hitched a nauseating ride on a giant metal paw.

Pluto No. 2 tried to scratch Jessica off, but she leaped out of the way and the dog ended up putting out one of his own eyes. No. 2 howled, and shook himself, but Jessica was able to hang on. Finally, he tried to roll on his back, but he misjudged his distance because of his broken eye, and fell into the river.

Woody could feel the electricity in the air, and immediately used the pendant to teleport Jessica to him. Woody could feel the energy that had cost him, but it was worth it.

No. 2 went on overdrive. It created a gigantic mud pit by rolling on its back, but it was only digging itself deeper into the hole. Finally it stopped. Then, _**KABOOM**_!

No. 2 was in pieces, so Woody and Jessica turned their attention to No. 1. Tightrope had made some progress, and he was on the belly of the beast. He found a button and, not knowing what to do otherwise, pressed it.

No. 1 was suddenly alert. He looked behind himself with beady read eyes and… chased his tail.

Despite the seriousness in the situation, Woody had to laugh. What No. 1 was doing was absurd on so many levels. In spite of his giggles, Woody managed to teleport back Tightrope.

Woody concentrated. He summoned all of his strength… and a giant laser erupted from the pendant! It cut No. 1 in half, and the pieces tumbled down a hill into a river.

"Hmm. That was quick." Someone said from behind Woody.

The three of them spun around. Standing behind them was Rosita.

Woody and Jessica gritted their teeth. "**You**." They said in unison.

Rosita uttered a laugh. "Nice unison. And Woody, for future reference, make better friends. Jessica, for instance, is just a plain bad choice. _Oh, I see a pretty face! I have no idea why she's here, but I think she'll make a great partner! Oops, I was just murdered_ _**by that pretty face**_**!**"

"Huh? Jessica?" Woody asked.

"Toon another?" Tightrope asked.

Rosita unsheathed her recently polished metal claws. Almost _too_ recently…

"Definitely not another toon." Woody said grimly.

"_He_ did this to me, idiots. He has machines of unspeakable horror just a few miles below the surface."

Jessica paled. She remembered it all too clearly.

"No, not that, you wuss. It's _beside_ that chamber of horrors… another machine. A machine to make Fusions.

Rosita was walking toward the group now. Closing in. "A Fusion is like a Hybrid… except they are _made_, not born. My skeleton was replaced with a robotic one. My heart is now a pump. You don't even _want_ to know what else _he_ replaced!" Rosita tore up a tree and threw it at the group. Woody cut it in half with a minilaser. "All I wanted was to fit in! All I wanted is to have friends! But now no one will come _near_ me!" Rosita was on all fours now, galloping toward the group with her talons of death.

Woody blinked back a tear. He jabbed Rosita with supernatural force right in the abdomen, and she went flying across the grounds.

Woody ran over to her, not believing what he had just done. "Rosita!"

Rosita was lying in a crumbled heap. One of her arms had fallen off, and was bleeding oil. Her face was twisted into a demonic smile. "We will meet again, Woody…" she rasped, "…_Beware…_ -ware -ware -ware." There was a loud _BEEEEEEEEoooooooop_. The sound of machinery winding down, turning off. Rosita had a final, ragged breath… and then her pupils blinked out.

***

The C.E.O. was in his chambers. The headache was continuing in dull throbs. He heard a knock on the door. He opened it, and there stood a green cat with one arm. Before the C.E.O. could even react, the cat snapped his fingers, and everything went dark.

***

"_We will meet again, Woody…" -_Rosita


	21. Chapter 20: Dispaire

Woody was down on his knees, crying. No one really knew how to comfort him. They all thought he was crying over a Fusion. But she was more than that.

The only thought in Woody's mind was that fateful day when Rosita was kidnapped by that The Big Cheese. They were twelve then. She had come back a day later, happy as a clam. But there was something… off about her. Only now did Woody know why.

Cogs never attacked Rosita again. They wouldn't even go into battle with her, so there was no way for here to build up her gags. She was always held back, since she couldn't progress. Her only real friend was Woody. She just turned invisible for a long period of time.

And now she was dead. It wasn't fair for her not to be able to live life as a toon. She was angry and hurt, but she kept everything a secret. It just wasn't fair.

Woody got up. He stopped grieving. He needed to avenge Rosita. the Rosita back when she was young and cheerful, back when she was social. Back when she was _Rosita_.

There was a card wrapped around Rosita the Fusion's detached arm. It said, _for those too dim-witted to figure it out on their own, the C.E.O. caused the Killjoy infection._

"Let's go." Woody said. "Lucy, I need you to try and round up as many Toon Council members as you can. Dimitri, if possible. Clancy, try and help. I'm sorry, but you don't stand much of a chance in battle."

"No offense taken. Come'on, Lucy, lets raise some ruckus."

The duet walked off in the opposite direction of which they came.

"Tightrope, Jessica, time to finish this. To stop the ultimate evil once again." Woody said.

"Gotcha. With we're you all the way." Tightrope said.

"Let's do this!" Jessica said.

***

_What-? What are you doing to me? Wait, I need those! Make it stop! Make it stop!_

_What have I ever done to you! I meant you no harm! Why are you doing this to me, client? Client?!_

_Please keep those parts where they are! I need them! I'll need them more than you'll ever need them, that's for sure!_

_Oh, the pain! The agony! Wait is that my…!_

_**!**_

***

Woody and friends walked inside the entrance to the Clubhouse. Fortunately, all of them had at least their Flunky disguises.

"I don't see why we need these anyway…" Woody grumbled. "We just lose them as soon as we're off the elevator."

Once they got in the elevator, Woody noticed a strange expression on Jessica's face… Doubt? Hesitation?

When they got off, the first thing the noticed was that there were… no cogs.

"C.E.O. the doesn't have a dinner party today. Cogs no." Tightrope explained.

The trio took off their disguises. They walked through the door…

It was the C.E.O. in ruin.

Woody was shocked. All this time he thought he was coming to destroy the C.E.O, but it seems someone beat him to it! The C.E.O. was missing parts of machinery all over the place, and was even missing… an eye.

The C.E.O. turned toward them and mouthed a single word. "_Run_."

In a blinding flash of fire, the C.E.O. blew to smithereens. And out of the dust came a green cat with shades.

"That who's?"

_Ha ha ha. Jessica, you have done very well. _Everyone heard this in their mind.

"J-… Jessica?" Woody asked in disbelief.

Jessica had tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Woody! Please stop him!"

_Too late._ _Do, do do da, do a little dance,_ Silent mocked the Toontown victory dance. _Ah. Now, come here, Jessica. Remember, you _swore on your soul.

A red X appeared on Jessica's glove. She was yanked, glove first, kicking and screaming, down over to Silent.

_Good. Now, the Pendant of Psyche, please._

"Like I'll give it to you!" Woody shouted.

_I never like when it comes to this…oh wait, yes I do!_

A hangman's noose wrapped around Tightrope's neck. He was yanked up three feet, and was only held up by a tiny block of wood.

_How about now?_

Woody used a minilaser to cut the noose, and Tightrope fell to the ground.

Silent snapped him fingers. Tightrope was gone.

_I do hate distractions, don't you? Take a look at young Jessica, over here. She stalled as much time as possible so I could finish my preparations. If it weren't for her, I never could've finished in time._

Jessica was sobbing. Great big tears rolled down her cheeks.

_And now, I can finally get that pendant without anything getting in the way. Now, Jessica, attack Woody with all your strength. Show no mercy._

"NO!" Jessica screamed, but it was too late. She started cartwheeling toward Woody, throwing quick punches, and jumping sky-high. Woody saw how she was trying to resist as best she could, and it was hard not to cut her in half. When he could, he would throw something at Silent, but Silent would just snap his fingers and disintegrate it. He did so with a meteor, a fireball, and a nuclear bomb (although he almost missed that one).

After half an hour, Jessica managed to punch a nerve, and Woody fell. Jessica's hands moved with a will of their own, unchaining the pendant and taking it over to Silent. She chained the pendant to the Chain of Madness.

_At last, at long last, __**IT'S FINALLY MINE!**_

Silent began to glow. Brighter and brighter and brighter, until he disintegrated! The Chain of Madness became longer, and it wrapped around an invisible body until it looked like a mummy in chains.

All around, an earthquake started. Winds that came from nowhere started tearing up the tables and carpeting. Jessica herself was having trouble avoiding all of the rubbish.

_**It is I! Dispaire! I have resurfaced to destroy all of the worlds, starting with this one! MUAH HA HA HA HA!**_

Jessica was shocked. This wasn't what she'd wanted at all. Why did she ever make an agreement with this creep… wait a minute! Every time she had gotten a headache, Silent (or Dispaire, really) was there. He must have influenced her actions. Jessica couldn't let this happen to Toontown… she knew what she had to do. A loophole in Dispaire's plan. Funny, how Jessica could use a cog term in this situation… but that was a thought for later.

Jessica ninja jumped from piece of gravel to piece of pottery to an uprooted shrub, making her way toward Dispaire. The pendant hung loose from Dispaire's neck. With her greatest leap of all time, she broke the Chain of Madness and stole the pendant back.

_**What? Give that back! You still**__ have to do what I say…_

"No, you forgot one thing: I swore to follow _Silent's _commands, not Dispaire's."

The Chain shrank until it was just a necklace again.

Jessica stared at the black chain in her palm that still moved faintly, trying to get to the pendant that was in Jessica's other hand.

Woody moaned a loud moan filled with pain, both physical and emotional. "What now?"

Jessica tossed Woody the pendant. "It's time to do what I was born to do."

"But… you'll be destroyed!"

"I'll be able to gain enough control to teleport myself far, far away. And Woody, please don't forget this, but when the time comes, don't hesitate to destroy me. No tears from my big man, all right?"

"No, Jessica." Woody pleaded. "Anyone but you."

"I can't take that chance. Dispaire might find another, weaker toon. And one more thing, Woody: you're the only toon I've met who reminds me so much of Nik."

Jessica put the chain around her neck and snapped her fingers…

***

"…_time to finish this." _–Woody Stockings


	22. Epilogue

Woody was in a white space. There was a black cat next to him.

"Woody? Is that you?"

"Who're you?" Woody asked, turning to face the character, but he could only be seen out of the corner of his eye.

"You _have_ to listen to me. I'm Nik, or was, actually, but anyway, Jessica is _really_ strong. She _will_ fight Dispaire. You just have to uproot her true self."

"What, are you a ghost?"

"Duh. And I _will_ haunt you if you don't save Jessica, I swear."

"Yeah, I think I'll take haunting to world demolition in a heartbeat."

"Dude, this is _serious_ stuff. Just save Jessica, and I'll make it worth your while. I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass."

"Yeah well, I'll ask again tomorrow. But this is you're _only_ break. I have a hot date, so I need to take off. But remember, dude, you're in for eight to nine hours of pestering every night until you swear on your soul. See ya!"

***

Woody woke up with a fright. He looked around. He was hooked up to some fluid, and almost too weak to move. It was frightening. Being pestered eight to nine hours a night was no one's idea of a picnic.

He was alone in the room. He decided he'd better get some rest. He felt the pendant around his neck just to make sure it was there, and closed his eyes.

***

"Woody's sleeping like a baby." Lucy observed. guacamole

"Aye, he is." Pop exclaimed. "He deserves it, considering what's he's been through."

Lucy, Pop, Clancy, and Tightrope were sitting in the hospital lobby. Woody was being dusted with Megathon, a substance that heals toons, daily, courtesy of the Toon Council. He was recognized as a hero, and a near unanimous vote among the populace decided that he should keep the pendant.

"We all deserve it, too." Clancy moaned. "I've been awake for, what, twenty two hours? Don't you agree, Tightrope? Tightrope?" Clancy noticed that Tightrope was snoring lightly. "Aw, come on!"

"I would say, as a blind guess, that you drank a few cups of coffee this morning?" Lucy presumed.

"More than a few, I suppose, but cut me some slack, I was nervous! I had to report to the Toon Council my experience with Toontown Prison!"

"You must have done a darn good job, Clancy mi'boy, 'cause now Dimitri doesn't trust the TIA half as much as he used to. But I suppose that doesn't help you get reenlisted, o'course…"

"Aw, who cares? I have you guys, and I just got a new job as a trolley operator!"

"Good for you, Clancy! I guess, looking back, I'm still the same person I used to be, but that was one great adventure." Lucy exclaimed.

"And I'll never be able to give enough thanks to those toons who rescued me from the V.P…" A pager rang in Pop's pocket. "Now of all times to send for me… seems I've got to juggle some boxes." Pop said as he pulled out his Telehole. "Let me know how Woody is, alright? I'm going to get some shut-eye after this." Pop disappeared through the portal, to help some Attack toons.

Clancy yawned. "I'd better go too. I'll call in the morning." Clancy got up and left, leaving Lucy all alone.

Lucy looked around for a moment, and then knelt down to thank the lord for Woody's life.

***

"You did well, Morph."

Two figures were standing in a darkened room. One was tall and metallic. The other looked like a toon, but was made of a shiny, unreal substance. It changed shape, as if it couldn't control itself. It was a moose. Then a duck. Then a cat.

"I _do_ hope it was effective, master." The thing called Morph replied. It said its words with an irritated tone, as if it resented its master, and spoke with a metallic, doubled tone

that echoed around the room. You couldn't tell if the voice was masculine or feminine.

"Oh, don't be like that, Morph. You've done beautifully."

"That's what you told your _last_ assistant, and that didn't go so well, did it?"

"Please. It was a noble self-sacrifice."

"Self-sacrifice. Pbth. You're the one that killed it, remember? And besides, I can't register feelings anyway. Why waste time trying to butter me up?"

"It's like I always say: If you try to make others feel better, your inner mechanisms with warm your interior to the perfect temperature, which will reduce the need to waste fuel using artificial temperature control devices."

"First time I heard you say that."

There was a pause as the tall figure clunked a black cat that had her arm cut off onto the table.

"What do we do with her?" Morph asked.

"We repair her, disable her memory of her claws, fusion, and 'death,' and plop her back straight into Woody's path. But first, we need all of the data we can possibly get. What we have isn't nearly enough; it's vague, at best. We need information known only by the Toon Council. And let me just say, Morph, that you did an excellent job of pretending to be her-" -The figure said while referencing the Fusion on the table- "-the first time."

"Enough with that, already. Although spearing people in the back with claws _is_ fun… the blood oozes out in such great gushes…" Morph said with a dreamy look, remembering that day.

"So Morph, it seems I must rely on you to complete this task."

"Why can't you do it?" Morph whined as it changed into a Robber Baron, a cog about a foot short of the other figure.

"Because I can't change shape, I don't know where to find hidden documents, and I never had first grade through advanced adult acting lessons programmed into my hard drive."

"Fine. But I'm warning you, I could complain to the C.E.O. concerning my vacation time."

"Enough with that, Morph, you know I control the left side of your brain."

"The right side's better…" Morph grumbled as it exited the room.

The tall figure smiled. He had a boatload of new toons to work with, and Morph wasn't even complaining as much as it usually does. The plan was going perfectly. Soon, all of Toontown would be in the clutches of the Mechanic…

***

Two toons were playing in the snow in a distant land on a rocky mountainside. One, a dark brown shrew, hit the other, a black crow, in the head with a snowball, and the black crow fell down.

Suddenly, there was a roar from the mountainside, as an avalanche erupted, just a few seconds from the friends.

"_Tourtes de crème saintes!_" the shrew yelled in awe.

The twosome didn't even have time to run for cover as the flurry of ice and snow engulfed them, never to be seen again.

And out of the snow came a pink cat with a black chain around her neck.

_Fin_


End file.
